BTS to Release 5th Album “ARIRANG” on March 20, with 82-Concert World Tour Attracting 4.5 to 4.8 Million Attendees

BTS will release their 5th studio album, “ARIRANG,” at 1 p.m. on March 20. This is the first full-length album released by all members after completing their military service, and it marks the first time the entire group has released a new studio album in nearly six years. Even before its release, the album received overwhelming support from ARMY, the fanbase, with pre-orders already exceeding 4 million copies.

On March 21, BTS will hold “BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG” in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul. This performance is set to be streamed live to over 190 countries and regions worldwide via Netflix. A total of approximately 15,000 people can enter the Gwanghwamun Square area, including those in standing zones and designated seating areas. The police estimate that around 230,000 people will gather in the area surrounding the performance stage up to Deoksu Palace’s Daehanmun gate, and about 260,000 people will gather up to Sungnyemun gate.

The scale of BTS’s world tour is the largest in K-pop history. With a total of 82 concerts, it is expected to draw between 4.5 million and 4.8 million attendees. This figure far exceeds those of previous K-pop group tours: Stray Kids’ “domINATE” tour, which attracted 2.6 million attendees as of last year, and BLACKPINK’s “Born Pink” tour from 2022 to 2023, which drew 1.8 million attendees. TWICE’s “Ready to Be” tour, which brought in 1.5 million attendees, also lags significantly behind.

The industry holds high expectations for the economic impact of BTS’s world tour. Each concert held by BTS in South Korea generates an economic impact of up to 1.22 trillion won and creates approximately 10,000 jobs. Shortly after the announcement of their comeback, hotel search volumes in Seoul increased by 155%.

The K-pop industry views BTS’s return as a sign of a “trickle-down effect.” Last year, physical album sales among the top 400 albums totaled approximately 86.38 million copies, a 7.1% decrease compared to 2024 (approximately 93.28 million copies), and it represented two consecutive years of decline from 2023’s 115.77 million copies, leading to concerns about a “K-pop crisis.” The industry expects that with the return of BTS as a mega IP, the entire K-pop industry will regain momentum.