In October 2022, K-pop boy band BTS held their final concert in Busan before announcing their intention to complete South Korea’s mandatory military service. More than three years later, they are reuniting to embark on a world tour to showcase their new ‌album Arirang.Despite being inactive for years due to military service, BTS – comprising members RM, Jin, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook – remained the most streamed K-pop group on Spotify. To mark their comeback, the group will play at the historic Gwanghwamun Square, free of charge, on Saturday, which has drawn thousands of foreign fans to Seoul. The performance will also be live streamed on Netflix against the backdrop of Gyeongbokgung Palace.The new album Arirang, which features big-name producers such as Diplo, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala and Ryan Tedder, contains 14 tracks across various genres. Arirang takes its name from a traditional Korean folk song about longing and separation, and is sampled on the electrifying opening track, Body to Body. Group leader RM cited a desire to acknowledge their Korean heritage, emphasised by the promotional slogan, “Born in Korea, playing for the world”.On Wednesday, South Korean president Lee Jae Myung commended BTS’s commitment to spreading Korean culture globally and assured that all the necessary precautions had been taken to ensure the Gwanghwamun Square performance goes ahead safely. Footage from Seoul this week shows BTS everywhere. Kim Yu-hyuk of IBK Investment & Securities in Seoul forecasts revenue from the tour of 2.7 trillion won (€1.5 billion), potentially approaching or overtaking past highest-grossing tours such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour of €1.8 billion.BTS will kick off their 82-date world tour in April, beginning in Goyang, which will be shown in cinemas across the world, beforing taking to stages across Asia, North and South America, Europe, and Australia. So far, it is a comeback unlike any the music industry has seen before, and it seems BTS have no plans to cease their group activities anytime soon.In an interview for GQ magazine, rapper Suga said the seven members are as close as ever, and that the love from their fans has never dimmed. They’re in this for the long run, he said, and the Gwanghwamun Square concert is only the beginning of a brand new BTS era.Since their debut in 2013, the ragtag underdog group quickly began to challenge both their peers and seniors in the industry, and are often said to have “paved the way” for K-pop globally. The Gwanghwamun Square concert will be live-streamed on Netflix on March 21st at 11am Irish time, with a new Netflix documentary titled BTS: The Return, releasing on Friday, March 27th. - Add–tional reporting from Reuters