BTS members performing at their comeback concert

 On the 21st, the seven‑member Korean group BTS held their comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. Fans from around the world gathered to celebrate the group’s long‑awaited return. The area was placed under unusually strict security, with large numbers of police officers deployed.

BTS announced a hiatus in 2022, during which members completed their mandatory military service. The comeback concert—about four years since their last major activity—featured new songs and fan‑favorite hits, thrilling the audience.

In October 2022, a crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district killed about 160 people. With that tragedy in mind, the government mobilized around 15,000 police and firefighters, controlled pedestrian flow to prevent congestion, and installed numerous metal detectors.

A 50‑year‑old office worker from Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, who attended with a friend, said with a smile, “I’ve been waiting for their return for so long.”