▲ In this file photo, a fan takes a photo of stairs with a BTS photo card at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on Jan. 6, 2026. The steps are decorated to promote K-pop juggernaut BTS, which is set to return with its fifth studio album in March. (Yonhap)
▲ K-pop boy group BTS is seen in this photo provided by BigHit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

BTS-comeback show

BTS wins nod for filming at historic sites for Gwanghwamun show

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Cultural heritage authorities have granted conditional approval for K-pop megastar BTS to film at major historic sites in central Seoul, as the band plans a major performance in the Gwanghwamun area to promote its long-awaited comeback in March.

The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said Tuesday its Cultural Heritage Committee reviewed and conditionally approved a request by Hybe, the K-pop company behind BTS, to use Gyeongbok Palace and the Sungnyemun gate for the project. The approval requires a subcommittee to assess the project's impact on cultural assets, according to the KHS.

The decision allows BTS to shoot prerecorded videos at the royal palace and the surrounding Gwanghwamun area for use at the comeback show. The shooting is expected to take place on a Tuesday, a day when the palace is regularly closed to the public.

However, a large-scale live concert has yet to be confirmed. Discussions with the Seoul metropolitan government and other related agencies are ongoing, with results expected later this month, officials said.

Hybe has applied to host a concert for about 18,000 people at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, a day after the group's comeback, and another event for roughly 30,000 at Seoul Plaza in front of the City Hall, according to city officials. If approved, it would be the first solo concert by a single K-pop act at Gwanghwamun Square.

In an application submitted to the KHS, the company said the performance would be streamed worldwide via a major online platform to about 300 million subscribers in 190 countries, comparing the scale to "a global livestream event similar to the World Cup or Olympics."

BTS will release its fifth full-length album "Arirang" on March 20, its first new album in three years and nine months since the anthology album "Proof" in June 2022.

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