▲ K-pop boy group BTS is seen in this photo provided by BigHit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ 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 show-preview

Previewing BTS' free comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square

SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- With the confirmation that BTS will hold a massive free concert to mark its comeback at Gwanghwamun Square and the adjacent royal palace on March 21, attention is now shifting to how the K-pop megastars will use the historic backdrop for the spectacle.

Current predictions suggest a performance that dramatically fuses Korean traditional heritage with state-of-the-art stage production.

According to the music industry and Seoul city officials Wednesday, discussions are under way for an opening sequence of "BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang" set to begin at 8 p.m. that day. The seven members are expected to appear from within the palace grounds, walking through Geunjeongmun and Heungnyemun gates before exiting through the main Gwanghwamun gate with the three major southern gates of Gyeongbok Palace thrown open, according to the sources.

This scenario is supported by reports that the group has secured approval to utilize these three gates as well as the "woldae" -- a restored ceremonial stage located in front of the main gate, historically used by kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) for royal rituals and public encounters.

The sequence, symbolizing a traditional royal procession, aims to create a grand entrance leading to the main stage, which will likely be constructed on the expansive lawn at the northern end of the square.It reportedly remains undecided whether this procession will be performed live or prerecorded.

Once onstage, the group is expected to perform with 50 dancers and 13 members of a traditional music troupe, reinforcing the theme of its fifth studio album, "Arirang."

To further immerse the audience, a media facade featuring motifs of Korean traditional culture will be projected onto the walls of the Gwanghwamun gate during the show. Similar projections are planned for the Sungnyemun gate and its walls on March 20, the day of the album's release.

The scale of the production matches the venue.

Organizers are preparing to accommodate 15,000 spectators in Gwanghwamun Square, while the show could be broadcast live on large screens for an additional 13,000 fans at Seoul Plaza in front of the City Hall and its adjacent intersection, though the numbers are subject to change for safety reasons.

Reservations for the free concert are expected to open on online ticketing sites after an announcement is posted soon on Hybe's K-pop fan community platform, Weverse.

However, observers predict that up to 200,000 people could flock to the area -- far exceeding the official capacity -- as fans without tickets could gather outside the designated zones to soak up the atmosphere.

The spectacle will be directed by Hamish Hamilton, a British director famed for the Super Bowl halftime show, and will be broadcast live on Netflix. It will mark the platform's first global livestream of a show from Korea, targeting 300 million users across 190 countries.

Following the concert, the documentary film "BTS: The Return" will air on the platform on March 27, detailing the band's creative journey behind the new album.

The first new release from the group in three years and nine months, the 14-track album is set to drop at 1 p.m. on March 20.

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