Global boy group BTS made a powerful return to the stage during their free comeback concert on March 21, recording the largest public crowd of the decade in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul.
According to HYBE, 104,000 ARMYs gathered in the South Korean capital to witness the group’s first full performance in almost four years. The turnout marked the biggest crowd seen in the area since the street celebrations during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.
READ: BTS’s new song 'Body to Body' doubles as lifesaving beat for hands-only CPR
While the Seoul Metropolitan Government and police initially estimated 40,000 to 42,000 attendees as of 8 p.m., the group’s agency HYBE placed the figure significantly higher, citing mobile network data and the presence of foreign visitors.
Only 22,000 fans secured the “Golden Ticket” to enter the designated seating area, but thousands more filled nearby streets and open spaces, watching the free concert through large video screens. Authorities had earlier projected that as many as 260,000 people could gather across the broader area.
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Fans began arriving as early as noon, many without tickets but were eager to be part of the historic moment. The concert marked BTS’ first performance as a complete group since their 2022 hiatus, when all seven members temporarily stepped away to fulfill mandatory military service in South Korea.
The show, which was also streamed globally via Netflix, featured the live debut of eight tracks from their newly released album “Arirang”. Among these were “Body to Body,” “Aliens,” “Normal,” and “2.0,” alongside fan-favorite hits like “Dynamite,” “Butter,” “Mikrokosmos,” and “Mic Drop.”
Despite a last-minute injury, BTS leader RM remained on stage throughout the concert. The rapper performed while seated after sustaining “a sprain of the accessory navicular, a partial ligament tear, and a talus contusion (which includes ligament damage and inflammation” which was initially announced by Big Hit Music. Though his movements were limited, RM still engaged fans by adapting the choreography with upper body motions.
Beyond the concert’s massive turnout, BTS also achieved new milestones on Spotify with the release of Arirang on March 20. The platform announced that the album became both the most streamed K-pop album in its history and the most streamed album in a single day in 2026.
READ: BTS shatters two Spotify records with the release of ‘Arirang’
Meanwhile, the group’s music also found an unexpected life-saving connection. The American Heart Association confirmed that “Body to Body,” the album’s opening track, runs at 120 beats per minute which is the ideal tempo for effective chest compressions in Hands-Only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Following their comeback, BTS is set to embark on a world tour beginning in April. As part of their Southeast Asia leg, the group is scheduled to perform in the Philippines on March 13 to 14, 2027, giving Filipino ARMYs another moment to look forward to.