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South Korea unopen down the bosom of Seoul connected Saturday (March 21, 20260 for a comeback performance by K-pop supergroup BTS, arsenic authorities hole for an estimated 260,000 fans to flood the city’s streets and millions much to ticker the amusement unrecorded connected Netflix.
The one-hour-long concert, acceptable to beryllium held successful the capital’s historical Gwanghwamun Square, marks the merchandise of the seven-member group’s archetypal caller medium successful much than 3 years, and the commencement of a planetary circuit successful April.
BTS made their debut successful 2013 and person since gone connected to planetary superstardom, becoming the most-streamed K-pop creator globally connected Spotify, with its members invited to the White House and partnering with the UN General Assembly. In 2022, the radical went connected hiatus truthful the members could implicit South Korea’s mandatory subject service.
“The City of Seoul volition bash its best to marque it flexible - to marque [the performance] some harmless and enjoyable,” said Seoul politician Oh Se-hoon connected Thursday arsenic he checked information measures enactment successful place.
Seoul is staging the lawsuit astir 4 years aft a assemblage crush killed Halloween revellers successful the city’s Itaewon nightlife district. Memories of the catastrophe inactive linger, amplifying unit connected South Korean authorities to guarantee the information of what is expected to beryllium 1 of its largest-ever nationalist gatherings.
Seoul constabulary person unopen streets and erected fences arsenic good arsenic metallic detectors astir the square, which sits to the southbound of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. They person besides said they volition jam signals of immoderate unauthorised drones. The Seoul government, BTS’s absorption bureau HYBE and different organisations progressive successful the lawsuit person besides deployed a combined 8,200 unit to negociate the crowds who had already begun to stitchery connected Friday (March 210 2026).
The Seoul authorities besides said it had acceptable up aesculapian stations and secured 2,551 toilets unfastened to the nationalist including successful adjacent buildings.
Organisers of the concert, which volition commencement astatine 8 p.m. section clip (1100 GMT), gave distant 22,000 escaped tickets, but the country is unfastened to non-ticket holders who volition beryllium capable to ticker the show connected Netflix via elephantine screens. It volition besides beryllium streamed unrecorded connected the level to 190 countries.
Netflix and HYBE connected Saturday (March 21, 2026) relaxed restrictions connected media sum of the show, allowing longer audio oregon video footage of the show to beryllium shown but inactive imposed a prohibition connected live-streaming by the media.
A ‘TRILLIONS OF WON’ COMEBACK BTS’ satellite circuit volition past into 2027 and is acceptable to be the biggest planetary Kpop circuit of each clip arsenic good arsenic the largest of their vocation to date, spanning 34 regions and 82 shows arsenic of this week according to the circuit website.
Analysts are projecting blockbuster revenues for the group’s instrumentality to the planetary stage, with immoderate estimates pointing to full circuit net of arsenic overmuch arsenic 2.7 trillion won ($1.81 billion), perchance approaching oregon overtaking past top-grossing tours specified arsenic Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour.
Seoul-based analysts besides estimated that it could bring successful full summons gross of astatine slightest 1.5 trillion won and full attendance of betwixt 5 and 6 cardinal fans across the full tour. On Friday (March 20, 2026), South Korea’s Finance Minister said connected X that the nonstop economical effect of the Saturday (March 21, 2026) comeback performance unsocial was successful the “trillions of won”.
“The fig of shows could scope 100 erstwhile dates to beryllium added adjacent twelvemonth are included,” said Hwang Ji-won, expert astatine iM Securities. “Assuming lone 50,000 attendees per show, that comes to 5 cardinal - and existent attendance could beryllium higher fixed the 360-degree stage.”
A 360-degree, cardinal signifier means the assemblage wholly surrounds the radical arsenic they perform. Analysts say specified a acceptable means determination are nary obstructed views and besides increases assemblage capacity, boosting sales.
Roughly fractional the shows are expected to beryllium successful North America and Europe wherever summons prices are mostly higher, Mr. Hwang added.
Kim Yu-hyuk of IBK Investment & Securities forecast full circuit gross of 2.7 trillion won and operating nett of 487 cardinal won including merchandise, expected to beryllium a large further gross driver.
Spending estimates connected merchandise scope from 100,000 won to 140,000 won per fan, portion prices of the caller “ARMY Bomb” airy instrumentality that the assemblage usage to cheer BTS astatine concerts person soared connected secondhand sites.
