Bangtan Boys’ Free Concert Draws 50,000 Global Fans to Busan

Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, held a free concert titled “Yet to Come” in Busan on Saturday to support Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

For the one-and-a-half-hour concert, the Busan Asiad Main Stadium accommodated 50,000 spectators including a standing audience of 20,000.

The Army, as the boy band’s fandom is known, gathered from all over the world, and turned the country’s second-largest city into a venue full of festive vibes. The city’s famous landmarks were lit up in purple, the color associated with the group, and stores selling BTS goods and holding related exhibitions saw long lines.

It was their first offline concert in four months after the group announced in June that it would take an indefinite hiatus. Since Jin, the oldest member among the seven, is set to start his mandatory military service in December, many fans from across the country and all over the world flocked to the city to see the concert, which could be the last one for years with all the members participating.

Many of the fans waited outside the venue from the early morning to get a spot in the front row of the standing area and have a closer look at the group.

When reservations for the concert opened last month, as many as 100,000 fans had to wait to log on to the site to secure one of the 50,000 seats available. Thousands of other unlucky fans gathered outside the stadium in the hope of hearing some live songs.

According to the band’s management agency Hybe, the gig, which was livestreamed through the agency’s platform Weverse, recorded 49 million views from 229 countries.