▲ Workers prepare a free concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 19, 2026, as the group's comeback concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. on March 21. (Yonhap)
▲ Welcome messages for BTS and its fan base, ARMY, are displayed on media poles along Seoul's Myeongdong shopping street ahead of the group's free concert at Gwanghwamun on March 21, 2026, in this photo provided by the city's Jung Ward office on March 19. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

culture ministry-Korean culture programs

Culture ministry launches events highlighting Korean culture to coincide with BTS concert

SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- The culture ministry said Thursday it will launch events promoting Korean culture across five national museums and the national library in Seoul, timed to coincide with BTS' comeback concert at the city center this weekend.

The events, which begin Friday, will include exhibitions, hands-on experiences and performances designed to connect Korean culture with the global K-pop sensation.

The septet is scheduled to perform at Gwanghwamun Square at 8 p.m. Saturday to mark the release of its new album, "Arirang," and the concert is expected to draw some 260,000 people to the area, including 22,000 ticket holders.

As part of the initiative, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will run an English-language guided program for international visitors titled "MMCA: Meet the K-Art" until April 19. Its Seoul gallery will also feature "BTS Sound Cube," a large outdoor media installation playing the band's music through projection mapping.

The National Folk Museum will run a special program titled "K-Culture Folk Experience with BTS" through April 30, featuring traditional Korean folk games like "tuho" (arrow throwing), top spinning and "jegichagi," as seen on the group's YouTube show "Run BTS."

The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History will exhibit a time capsule donated by the group, alongside a related video, through May 31. From April to June, it will also run a children's program exploring "Arirang" as a symbol of Korea's modern cultural identity, linking the 100th anniversary of director Na Woon-gyu's 1926 film "Arirang" with BTS' upcoming album of the same name.

The National Library of Korea will hold an exhibition from Friday to April 12 featuring literary works cited as sources of inspiration for the group's lyrics, including poems by Kim Yeong-nang and Yun Dong-ju.

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