Seoul gears up for year’s biggest event as BTS returns

South Korea’s capital, Seoul, is preparing for the biggest event of the year — the comeback of BTS, one of the most successful groups in the world in recent years, the BBC writes.

On Saturday, the band will kick off a sold-out, 82-date world tour with a free concert in Seoul, which is expected to be attended by more than 250,000 in-person fans and will be live-streamed on Netflix to more than 190 countries.

The one-hour concert will include songs from their long-awaited new album, Arirang, which is set to be released on Friday.

When the tour wraps up in 2027, BTS are expected to have generated more than $1bn in revenue. Some more outlandish estimates suggest they will eclipse the $2bn haul of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.

Demand is so high that Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has written to the South Korean government asking for BTS to play more shows in her country.

One of the world’s biggest pop acts, BTS were at the peak of their fame when they had to enlist for mandatory military service, starting with Jin in 2022. Suga was the last to complete service in June last year, paving the way for a full-group comeback.

Their 82-date world tour across more than 30 cities, from Singapore and Tokyo to Munich and Los Angeles, begins next month.