BUSAN, South Korea – “BTS are back on stage together! What more could I ask for?” said Kim Ji-yeon, 23, who came to see the K-pop supergroup’s concert in her city of Busan. For a year now, the high school graduate has been studying day and night for the civil service exam, including weekends. “I had to skip school,” she said, “because tonight might be my last chance to see BTS live.”
On Saturday, the septet reunited for their first concert since June’s surprise announcement that its members were taking a hiatus to focus on their solo careers, sending shockwaves through the band’s worldwide fanbase.
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“We all cried when we announced that our activities as a group would end and solo activities would follow,” singer V told concertgoers. “And yet we have a concert here again as a group.”
His remarks were met with collective “ahhs” and “ohhs” from disheartened fans, and his bandmates were quick to step in, saying they weren’t “quitting” but just taking some time off.
The June announcement came as the deadline loomed for a decision on whether the band would be exempted from the country’s compulsory military service. The band’s oldest member, Jin, faces possible conscription after his 30th birthday in December. “Right now, this is our last scheduled concert,” Jin said in an emotional voice.
The concert, held free of charge to support South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, attracted more than 50,000 fans. Tens of thousands more fans, even without tickets, gathered in different parts of Busan to watch the live streams of the concerts on big screens and take photos of the city’s landmarks lit up in purple, the color of BTS.
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Authorities said the weekend events are expected to attract around 100,000 local and international visitors to the southern port city.
As the clock ticks for BTS To, Busan officials are worried about losing support for their Expo bid from the world’s biggest boy band. The mayor of Busan even petitioned the central government to exempt BTS from compulsory military service so that the cultural juggernaut could continue to be the face of the bid.
Kim, the Busan college student, said she wasn’t initially interested in the Expo bid because she wanted her city to focus on long-term issues like youth unemployment, rather than the one-off event. Now she said: “I’m just happy that the Expo brought my favorite band to my city.”
The “ecstatic” screams from BTS enthusiasts interrupted what may have been a relaxing weekend for 73-year-old Yoon Jung-sil, who lives in an apartment right next to Busan Asiad’s main stadium. She said the concert was an “administrative process” for her city, citing congestion and price gouging in the hospitality industry. To prevent the mega-event from becoming a logistical nightmare, Busan authorities have flown drones to monitor traffic and dispatched inspection teams to hotels with inflated prices.
“I’ve never seen so many foreigners in my neighborhood,” Yoon said. “Is this what the Expo in Busan will look like?”
While some residents feared the chanting and cheers from the open-air stadium would be too loud, lines of fans camped at the entrance of the venue hoped to do just that to hear the concert from outside. “Even hearing her voice from afar means a lot to me,” said Janie Aquino, one of the disappointed fans who lost the “click war” for tickets but still traveled to the venue — in her case from the Philippines.
Bujhoy Aguila, 40, who flew from Manila with Aquino, said the band’s uplifting songs helped them weather the pandemic gloom. “BTS, you gave me my second youth,” she said, fighting back tears.
As the Superstars entertained the crowd with their catchy tunes, emotional lyrics and finely tuned dance moves, fireworks exploded in the night sky over the stadium.
“Some say BTS is too old now,” said Suga, the band’s rapper. The 29-year-old said his career spanning nearly decades since the group’s debut in 2013 “flashed before my eyes” as he went through the concert repertoire. “Let’s grow old together,” he told cheering fans.