BTS created a moment at Gwanghwamun Square that will go down in music history with their comeback stage. It was not just a debut of new songs but a stage that imprinted the team’s identity and Korean sentiment on the world.
On the 21st at 8 p.m., BTS held BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG at Gwanghwamun Square. This was a commemorative stage for their fifth full album, ARIRANG, released the day before on the 20th. The venue was packed with about 104,000 spectators, according to HYBE’s estimate.
Estimates From HYBE And The Government About BTS’s Concert Are Wildly Different
This performance carried meaning beyond a simple comeback stage. ARIRANG encompasses the team’s identity and the emotions built up over their journey. They named the album after Korea’s representative folk song and chose the symbolic space of Gwanghwamun Square for the stage. The set, designed in a frame shape, captured Gwanghwamun and the seven members in one scene, creating a historic moment.
The integration with cultural heritage also drew attention. The performance began with a drone shot overlooking Bugaksan Mountain and Gyeongbokgung Palace, followed by a sweeping view of Gwanghwamun Square that immediately captivated the audience. Media art projected onto the Gwanghwamun outer wall harmonized the urban space, cultural heritage, and performance. The blend of tradition and modernity continuously inspired awe. The show was live-streamed on Netflix, spreading BTS’s performance as well as Korean culture and emotions worldwide.
BTS opened with “Body To Body,” a track from the new album that references the melody of the folk song “Arirang,” performed together with musicians and vocalists from the National Gugak Center. They then showcased new songs including “Hooligan,” “2.0,” “Aliens,” “FYA,” “Like Animals,” and “Normal,” with the highlight being the title track “SWIM.” Media art along Gwanghwamun depicted flowing water, visualizing the song’s message of continuing to swim through the waves of life without stopping.
BTS’s signature hits like “Butter,” “MIC Drop,” and “Dynamite” further energized the atmosphere on site. The final song, “Mikrokosmos,” left a deep impression with an effect of starlight spreading across Gwanghwamun and the Big Dipper rising. Over about an hour, synchronized lightsticks, called “ARMY Bombs,” and stage effects lit up the entire square in unison.
BTS shared their overwhelming emotions about their full group comeback after roughly 3 years and 9 months. They said, “We are choked up to meet again like this. We are happy to be together as seven. We thank ARMY who filled Gwanghwamun Square, the Seoul city officials who allowed us to perform here, the police officers working hard onsite, and countless others involved.”
After the concert, they expressed their sincerity once more via the global superfans platform Weverse: “We faced you all in the meaningful space of Gwanghwamun. Hearing the cheers that filled the square, we felt the overwhelming emotion of ‘We’ve finally come back.’” They added that the stage was possible thanks to those who ensured safety, the warm understanding of citizens, and ARMY’s unwavering love.
Meanwhile, BTS’s fifth full album ARIRANG has received a heated response since its release. It sold 3.98 million copies on the first day, surpassing the group’s own previous first-week sales record of 3.37 million in just one day. The title track “SWIM” topped the daily charts on Melon and Bugs as of March 20.