▲ A signboard is placed outside a restaurant in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on March 19, 2026, to welcome BTS fans. (Yonhap)
▲ The entrance of a restaurant in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, is decorated with purple flowers on March 19, 2026, two days before BTS' concert. (Yonhap)
▲ A convenience store in Seoul is decorated with purple balloons welcoming BTS fans on March 19, 2026. (Yonhap)

BTS concert-downtown

Shops, restaurants turn purple to welcome BTS fans

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- Shops and restaurants in downtown Seoul were adorned in purple Thursday as businesses eagerly embraced the symbolic color of K-pop group BTS ahead of its highly anticipated comeback show this weekend.

The seven-member act is set to perform at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday to mark the release of its fifth studio album, "Arirang," and preparations have been under way at all levels -- from the district government to the prime minister's office -- to ensure a safe and enjoyable event.

Around 260,000 fans and visitors from around the world are expected to descend on the streets stretching from the square to Sungnye Gate to witness the return of one of K-pop's biggest success stories.

Outside a raw fish restaurant found west of the square, a small vase of purple flowers decorated the entrance, while employees of a nearby coffee shop wore ribbons in the five cardinal colors of Korean tradition to welcome foreign visitors in an authentic fashion.

"Back when business was very hard due to the pandemic, I was soothed by BTS' songs, so I'm very happy that they will be performing not far from here," Kim Seong-dae, the owner of the fish restaurant, said.

"I want to think of it as a festival and welcome ARMY guests with purple balloons and napkins," he added, referring to the band's fan base.

Signboards promoting "BTS meal sets" and "ARMY meal sets" were easy to spot, while one eatery selling cold noodles put out an offer for 1,000 free bowls on the day of the concert.

Convenience stores stocked up with water bottles, hand warmers and power banks to prepare for the throng, and new items appeared to cater to the most diehard of fans -- dolls of each BTS member.

"Our head office helped out a lot so I was able to order a lot more items liked by foreigners," one convenience store owner, surnamed Park, said. "We didn't previously sell dolls of the members."

Still, not everyone in the neighborhood was excited about the weekend.

A short distance from the hustle and bustle, at an eatery tucked away behind the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the 70-something owner said he was considering closing for the day on Saturday.

"I don't think people will come as far back as here," he said.

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