BTS to hold free comeback concert in Seoul come March

BTS is set to hold a free comeback concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square on March 20.

According to a report by Korean media outlet The Chosun Daily, the concert will coincide with the release of the group’s fifth full-length album, “Arirang.”

It will be the first time a specific K-pop group has been granted permission to stage a solo performance at the historic public square.

According to BTS’ agency HYBE, the venue was chosen for its cultural significance.

“Gwanghwamun Square is a symbolic space representing Korea’s identity. We aim to reaffirm BTS’s roots as a group born in Korea and express our love for the country through this performance,” HYBE was quoted as saying.

In addition, HYBE has applied to the Korea Heritage Service to film content around Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun, and Sungnyemun from March 20 to 22.

Plans include media art projections on Sungnyemun and Gwanghwamun, as well as a live-streamed procession in which BTS members travel from Gyeongbokgung Palace to the main stage.

It's all systems go for BTS' upcoming “Arirang” world tour, their first since their “Permission to Dance on Stage” concert series in stadiums in Seoul, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas between 2021 and 2022.

It is also their first time onstage since “Yet to Come in Busan,” or World Expo 2030 Busan Korea Concert BTS, in 2022.

BTS will be bringing the "Arirang" tour to the Philippines on March 13 to 14, 2027, their first time in the Philippines in 10 years.

Presales have already started, with tickets to the April shows in Goyang, South Korea already sold out. — Carby Basina/LA, GMA Integrated News