BTS. Photo from BigHit Music on X
(UPDATE) Netflix announced Tuesday it would stream BTS' comeback show and release a documentary chronicling the K-pop supergroup's return to the music scene after a years-long break from group activities.
On its social media platforms, the streaming giant unveiled "BTS the Comeback Live | Arirang," a livestream of the septet's performance at the historic Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul.
The show is part of the group's comeback alongside their fifth studio album, "Arirang," their first group release in four years following a pause to pursue solo careers and fulfill mandatory military service.
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Photo courtesy of Netflix
The livestream will take place on March 21, a day after the album's release, at 8 p.m. KST (7 p.m. Philippine time).
Netflix will also release the documentary film "BTS: The Return" on March 27, chronicling the making of "Arirang."
The feature will be directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bao Nguyen, known for documentaries such as "The Greatest Night in Pop," which explored the creation of the charity song "We Are the World," and "The Stringer," which centers on the Vietnam War photograph "The Terror of War."
"Arirang" is BTS' first album since the anthology "Proof," released in 2022 before the group went on a self-described hiatus as the members undertook their mandatory military service.
The new album "contains a deep reflection on the team's origins and identity," Netflix said. It is named after a Korean folk song about longing and separation, often seen as an unofficial national anthem.
BTS will also embark on a world tour beginning April, spanning 34 cities with 79 shows — the largest single tour by a K-pop group by total performances and the widest regional reach for a South Korean artist, according to their label HYBE.
The tour includes a two-day stop in Manila scheduled for March 2027.
READ: 'Come more often!' Mexico leader urges K-pop stars BTS on sold-out tour
BTS, which debuted in 2013, are big business in South Korea. Before their military service, they generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($3.8 billion) for the country a year, according to Seoul's Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.
The figure is equivalent to 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP. — With a report from Agence France-Presse
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