US EditionSouth Korea Prepares for BTS Comeback
BTS reunites after military service with Arirang album and a free Seoul concert, addressing K-pop's pressures amid 260,000 fans expected, officials said.
- On March 20, BTS's album Arirang goes live at 3pm AEDT, and all seven members reunite for a free concert staged in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, broadcast exclusively on Netflix on March 21 to around 190 countries.
- After completing conscription, BTS recorded all 14 new tracks in Los Angeles between July and November 2025.
- Mass crowd logistics include roughly 15,000 tickets sold instantly and around 260,000 fans expected in Seoul, prompting deployment of about 6,700 police and security staff from Seoul city government and HYBE.
- The return is already driving hotel bookings and local economic activity, with BTS's Arirang World Tour starting April 9 in Goyang and thousands of fans flying in for concerts.
- Industry practices include long training days and strict oversight, with idols facing 15-hour days and fan extremes; Kim Seong-sheen said, 'Fans have come to occupy the role not of simple consumers but of participants who invest their emotions and time'.
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34 Articles
Glasperlenspiel, Beatrice Egli and the world-famous K-Pop band BTS, which celebrates their comeback after the military service in Korea: Learn here what is new, important and worth listening to in the world of music.Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, RM, J-Hope, Jung Kook: These seven young men let the hearts of K-Pop fans beat up again. Finally, many will say, after all, the band had to pause for several years due to the obligatory military service in South …
Shinsegae Department Store Displays BTS Comeback Media Art on Main Branch Exterior On the 20th, Shinsegae Department Store unveiled media art and a music video for a new song commemorating the comeback of BTS at Shinsegae Square in its main branch. The media art utilizes the logo of BTS's new album, ARIRANG, showing the members popping out of the screen...
What’s behind the BTS comeback? The dark side of K-pop
Seoul, South Korea — While K-pop oozes with talent, flair, and hard work, the spectacularly successful South Korean music industry also has a dark side — sometimes with tragic results. Ahead of BTS’s comeback concert on Saturday, AFP looks at the intense competition, the gruelling training, the tight control over stars’ lives, and the sometimes obsessive fan behaviour in the industry. 300 K-pop groups South Korean record labels launch dozens of …
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