Foreign tourists pose for photos on the steps of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno District, Seoul, in front of promotional materials announcing the comeback of BTS as a full group for the first time in three years and nine months this March. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — When BTS returns to the stage next month, it will do so against a backdrop steeped in five centuries of Korean history.
The K-pop supergroup has confirmed plans for a free comeback concert on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square, framed by the stately gates of Gyeongbok Palace. The announcement has set off intense speculation about how the band will transform one of Seoul’s most symbolic civic spaces into a global pop spectacle.
According to music industry officials and city authorities, the show — titled “BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang” — is expected to open at 8 p.m. with a theatrical sequence that merges royal pageantry and contemporary performance.
The seven members are said to be preparing an entrance from within the palace grounds, passing through Geunjeongmun and Heungnyemun before emerging through the main Gwanghwamun gate. The three southern gates of the palace would be opened in full view, evoking a traditional royal procession.
Organizers have reportedly secured permission to use the palace gates and the woldae, a restored ceremonial platform once reserved for Joseon Dynasty kings. Whether the procession will unfold live or in a prerecorded segment remains undecided.
The group BTS (Image source: j-hope’s Instagram)
The symbolism aligns with the group’s forthcoming fifth studio album, “Arirang,” a 14-track project that draws on Korea’s most enduring folk melody. On the main stage, to be erected at the northern end of the square, BTS is expected to perform alongside 50 dancers and 13 traditional musicians, blending contemporary choreography with Korean court and folk elements.
A large-scale media facade is planned for the palace walls, projecting traditional motifs onto Gwanghwamun Gate. Similar visual displays are scheduled for Sungnyemun on March 20, the day the album is released.
The setting underscores the scale of the event. Organizers are preparing space for 15,000 ticketed spectators at Gwanghwamun Square and another 13,000 viewers at Seoul Plaza, where the concert may be simulcast on giant screens.
Officials caution that final numbers could shift for safety reasons. Yet industry observers expect far larger crowds — potentially as many as 200,000 people — to gather in and around the historic district, even without tickets.
This photo of K-pop boy group BTS is captured from the group’s official Twitter account. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Directed by Hamish Hamilton, known for producing Super Bowl halftime shows, the concert will stream live on Netflix, marking the platform’s first global livestream of a Korean event. The broadcast will reach Netflix’s estimated 300 million users across 190 countries.
A documentary, “BTS: The Return,” chronicling the making of the album, will follow on March 27.
For a group that has become synonymous with both global ambition and national pride, the choice of Gwanghwamun — where state ceremonies, protests and cultural festivals converge — signals more than a comeback. It is a declaration of arrival, staged at the symbolic heart of modern Korea.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
