A massive gathering of BTS enthusiasts filled a stadium close to Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday to witness the commencement of the K-pop sensation’s highly anticipated global tour. After a hiatus of nearly four years, RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook took to the stage to deliver a performance featuring a blend of their previous hits and tracks from their latest album, “ARIRANG” — their fifth studio album and the first release following the completion of the band members’ mandatory military service in South Korea.
Despite heavy rain, the stadium, with a seating capacity exceeding 40,000, was packed on Thursday for the concert, which serves as BTS’s inaugural headline tour show since their 2021–22 Permission to Dance on Stage tour. Spanning until April 12, the concerts in South Korea mark the beginning of a worldwide tour encompassing numerous dates across the United States, Europe, and Asia, with projections indicating potential revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars per quarter.
The performance on Thursday occurred shortly after BTS staged a grand free concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, attracting over 20,000 attendees in person and a larger online audience through the Netflix livestream. All seven BTS members fulfilled their mandatory military service, with Suga’s discharge in June 2025 being the most recent. Suga reportedly served at government-affiliated establishments due to a shoulder injury, bypassing traditional military camps.
In South Korea, all physically capable men aged 18 to 28 are mandated by law to serve up to 21 months in the military under a conscription system aimed at deterring potential threats from North Korea. Titled after a traditional Korean folk song that holds symbolic significance across the Korean peninsula, “ARIRANG” made an impressive debut by claiming the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart, with the single “Swim” also achieving chart-topping success.
BTS, known as Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in Korean, made their debut in June 2013 with the release of the hip-hop-oriented album “2 Cool 4 Skool,” gradually gaining momentum through subsequent releases until achieving international acclaim with the 2016 album “Wings.” Their breakthrough into the global music scene occurred in 2017 with the success of the song “DNA” on the Billboard Hot 100, making BTS the first Korean boy band to achieve such a milestone. Their world tour itinerary includes stops in Tokyo, North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, with plans to headline in Australia in early 2027 and conclude the tour in Manila, Philippines, by March next year.
