5 Trillion Won Plus Alpha: BTS-nomics Grows Even Stronger [BTS Comeback]

Returning as a full group for the first time in about four years, BTS used Netflix to link Gwanghwamun with audiences around the world in real time.
To celebrate the release of their fifth studio album "Arirang," BTS staged "BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG" at 8 p.m. on September 21 at Gwanghwamun in Seoul. The free concert drew 104,000 ARMY from Korea and abroad, who gathered to mark the beginning of the group’s "second chapter" of activities.
The show opened with a sweeping drone shot tracing the so-called "King’s Road" from Bugaksan Mountain through the Geunjeongmun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Heungnyemun Gate to Gwanghwamun. Then 50 dancers lined up on the Gwanghwamun Woldae stone terrace split to either side, and BTS emerged between them as the main stage began in earnest. After the chime of the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok, featured on the new track "Number 29," performers from the National Gugak Center joined in a rendition of the folk song "Arirang," underscoring both the performance’s historical depth and symbolic meaning.
A frame-shaped stage as tall as a three-story building captured Gwanghwamun and the seven members in a single view, heightening the symbolism. Media art projected onto the outer wall of Gwanghwamun organically blended the cityscape, cultural heritage, and BTS’s performance to create a spectacular scene. Over roughly an hour, the choreography, staging, and the ARMY Bomb light sticks worked in sync, bathing the entire square in shifting colors of light.
The set list included global hits like "Butter" and "Dynamite," but eight of the twelve songs were new tracks. Dressed in black outfits designed by Songzio under the concept of "hero," the members showcased songs such as "Hooligan" and "2.0," revealing a further expanded musical spectrum.
BTS remarked, "The moment we heard the cheers filling the square, we felt an overwhelming sense that we had finally come back," adding, "It is truly an honor to be able to perform here at Gwanghwamun, the most historic place in Korea."
A fan in her 40s who had traveled from Taiwan said, "The performance and stage direction in such a historic space were extremely impressive," and added, "It has been 741 days since I started learning Korean through BTS, and this made me want to learn more deeply about Korean culture."
The new album sold 3.98 million copies on its first day, surpassing BTS’s own previous first-week sales record of 3.37 million in just a single day.
On the 22nd, Yoonji Kim, a senior researcher at the Overseas Economic Research Institute of The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), estimated, "If we assume concert ticket revenue of 1 trillion won, we can expect about 1.8 trillion won in consumer goods exports and a total production inducement effect exceeding 5 trillion won." She added, "This event is strongly oriented toward tourism-inducing effects beyond the concert itself," and predicted, "With the Netflix live broadcast as a catalyst, there will likely be significant long-term spillover effects, including increased demand for travel to Korea."
Hybe, expressing gratitude for the cooperation that made the Gwanghwamun concert possible, stated, "We will develop concrete plans to protect and promote national heritage and cultural properties, and put them into action."
jashin@fnnews.com Yoonji Kim Reporter