BTS ARMY Truly ‘Purpled’...Helping Foreign Fans and Cleaning Up the Venue

[Financial News]"I was on my way to Gwanghwamun by subway when there was an error with the T-money card I bought at a convenience store. A passerby bought me a single-use ticket and quietly said, 'I'm ARMY too.' Thanks to that person's kindness, I made another happy memory in Korea."
Mio, a 33-year-old from Japan whom we met near Gwanghwamun on the 21st, excitedly shared her experience. She came to Korea with friends on a four-day trip to see "BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG" at 8 p.m. around Gwanghwamun.

The heartwarming stories of ARMY, BTS’s fandom, after the group’s first full-member performance in three years and nine months did not end there. In the BTS fandom, the expression "to purple" someone means "to trust and love each other."

Mio said, "I couldn’t get a ticket for the show, so I came from my accommodation in Mapo District just to feel the atmosphere in Gwanghwamun. My friends had no problem taking the subway, but only my T-money card had an error," adding, "A Korean woman saw that I was in trouble, checked the error, and told me it was because of 'insufficient balance.'"
She continued, "I took out 50,000 won and said I wanted to top up, but she told me, '50,000 won is too much for a three-day trip.' Then she bought me a single-ride ticket and told me to go to a convenience store near Gwanghwamun and charge only the amount I needed," and added, "In Korea, it felt like everyone was ARMY."
The scene after the concert was also remarkable. A huge crowd left as soon as the show ended, yet there were no accidents. The organizers divided the venue into zones such as A, B, and C, and had people exit in order. ARMY calmly waited until it was their zone’s turn to leave.

Standing in front of the fence beyond the event area, 24-year-old Ana said, "I’m waiting for my friend who watched the concert," and introduced her as "a Korean friend that BTS brought into my life."
Ana arrived in Korea from Brazil a week ago with her boyfriend, Lucas.

She said, "I’ve been ARMY since 2016, and Lucas became ARMY thanks to me. Our Korean friend watched the concert inside the venue, while Lucas and I watched it on Netflix at a nearby café," adding, "I was worried we might not be able to meet up because of the crowds, but it’s less chaotic than I expected, so we came here to wait. We’re going to have chimaek (fried chicken and beer) and listen to her stories about the concert."

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, city data showed that between 40,000 and a peak of 48,000 people gathered at Gwanghwamun Square at 8 p.m., when the concert began. However, Hybe, BTS’s agency, said that this estimate did not include users of budget mobile carriers or foreign visitors, and put the crowd at about 104,000.



Although it was a large-scale event that drew massive crowds to the Gwanghwamun area, the place was surprisingly clean for a gathering of tens of thousands. Many ARMY members took their own trash with them, and others wearing purple sashes reading "ARMY Volunteer Group" walked around the square picking up litter.

Kim, a 34-year-old who asked to remain anonymous and was part of the volunteer group, said, "It was an idea someone posted on a fan message board before the concert. Around 350 people joined a group chat," adding, "About 150 of us actually came to the site. We felt we should return the public space we borrowed from citizens in a clean state, so we decided to help."


y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter