From K-pop to K-culture: BTS (Bangtan Boys) connect with the world at Gwanghwamun, drawing 104,000 fans [BTS Comeback]

On the evening of the 21st, Gwanghwamun Square was calm and orderly, like the stillness before a storm. It was only 10 minutes before the event began that the silence was broken by fans in the front rows chanting for BTS. The cheers briefly subsided, then swelled again as 8 p.m. approached. One foreign correspondent began a live broadcast 10 minutes before showtime, relaying the atmosphere on site.
The sound of the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok, featured on the new album "No. 29," rang out to signal the start of the concert. This was followed by the folk song "Arirang," sampled on the first track "Body to Body," echoing across Gwanghwamun Square. BTS, together with performers and musicians from the National Gugak Center, opened "BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG" with this collaborative stage.
The stage was designed like a picture frame, capturing both Gwanghwamun and the seven members in a single shot to create a symbolic image. Netflix streamed the BTS performance live as content to 190 countries simultaneously.
Although global hits like "Butter" and "Dynamite" were included in the set list, new songs dominated the night, with eight of the 12 tracks coming from the latest release. The album’s key color, red, was used extensively, leading some observers to mistakenly speculate that it was influenced by Netflix’s own signature red.
According to Big Hit Music, the stage production was inspired by the Geon, Gon, Gam, Ri trigrams on the Taegeukgi, the national flag of South Korea. The title track "SWIM" was paired with media art symbolizing Gam (water) among the trigrams. In particular, a virtual stream of water flowing along Gwanghwamun created a striking spectacle. The song "Normal" represented Geon (heaven), "Like Animals" expressed Gon (earth), and "FYA" embodied Ri (fire). The three-layer LED cube on stage was also designed based on the Geon, Gon, Gam, Ri trigrams.
The stage outfits reinterpreted traditional Korean garments, resembling the armor of Joseon-era generals, in a modern style. The official BTS light stick, the ARMY Bomb, was synchronized in real time with the stage production, bathing the venue in unified colors. The stage LEDs, media art projected on the outer walls of Gwanghwamun, and the glow of ARMY Bombs merged to create a unique nighttime panorama.
For the encore song "Mikrokosmos," starlight that first appeared on the LEDs gradually spread across Gwanghwamun, culminating in a depiction of the Big Dipper that left the audience deeply moved.
Lara, a woman in her 40s from Taiwan who attended the concert, said, "It was an incredibly fascinating stage." She continued, "There were no subtitles in my language, so I couldn’t understand everything, but the historic setting and the stage production were very impressive." She added, "The first song evoked traditional music, so it felt different from their previous shows. I could sense an intention to connect with Korean history by using traditional elements in a traditional space."
Speaking about the new songs, she noted, "They have pop elements, but the style is a bit different from BTS’s earlier music and not something you hear every day." She added that "Body to Body," which opened the show, left the strongest impression on her.
The audience count came to 104,000, lower than the initially projected 170,000 to 260,000. Safety-focused measures implemented weeks before the event appear to have unintentionally restricted free viewing and contributed to the lower turnout. Some fans, concerned about large crowds, also opted for a "front-row seat at home" instead. Contrary to expectations, transportation to the venue was not heavily congested, and trains from Gwanghwamun Station after the show, starting around 10 p.m., were relatively uncrowded.

To celebrate the release of their fifth full-length album "Arirang" on the 20th, BTS held "BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG" at Gwanghwamun Square from 8 p.m. on the 21st for about an hour. Approximately 104,000 people gathered at the site.
The concert went beyond a typical comeback stage. The group chose Korea’s representative folk song as the album title and selected the symbolic location of Gwanghwamun as their stage. The frame-shaped set design captured both Gwanghwamun and the seven members in one view, heightening the symbolism.
The staging, which blended cultural heritage with performance, also stood out. The show opened with drone footage flying over Bugaksan Mountain and revealing Gyeongbokgung Palace. A sweeping view of Gwanghwamun Square followed, drawing viewers in. Media art projected onto the outer walls of Gwanghwamun allowed the cityscape, cultural heritage, and performance to blend seamlessly.
BTS opened the concert with the new track "Body to Body" from the album. They then performed mainly new songs, including "Hooligan," "2.0," "Aliens," "FYA," "Like Animals," and "Normal." During the title track "SWIM," media art made it appear as though a stream of water was flowing along Gwanghwamun, visually amplifying the song’s message.
Signature hits such as "Butter," "Mic Drop," and "Dynamite" sent the energy on site soaring. For the final song "Mikrokosmos," a cascade of starlight spread across the Gwanghwamun area, followed by the appearance of the Big Dipper, leaving a lingering emotional impact. Throughout the roughly one-hour show, the ARMY Bomb light sticks were synchronized with the stage effects, turning the entire square into a single sea of light.
BTS also shared their feelings about returning as a full seven-member group for the first time in about three years and nine months. "We were overwhelmed with emotion to be able to meet you again," they said. "We’re happy that all seven of us can stand here together. We’re grateful to ARMY, who filled the square, to the Seoul Metropolitan Government for allowing us to perform here, and to the police and countless staff members who worked hard on site."
After the concert, they wrote on global fan platform Weverse, "We were able to stand face to face with you in the meaningful space that is Gwanghwamun. The moment we heard the cheers filling the square, we felt a surge of emotion and thought, 'We’ve finally come back.'" They added, "This performance was only possible thanks to the hard work of those who ensured safety, the warm understanding of citizens, and the unwavering love of ARMY."
Meanwhile, BTS’s fifth full-length album "Arirang" has been met with an explosive response since its release. On the first day alone, it sold 3.98 million copies, surpassing the group’s previous first-week sales record of 3.37 million in just one day. The title track "SWIM" topped the daily charts of Melon and Bugs on March 20.
jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-ah Reporter