BTS say they’re ‘just country kids’ ahead of comeback mega-gig

2026-03-17 - 07:43

A store displays photos of K-pop group BTS in central Seoul. (EPA Images pic) SEOUL: K-pop megastars BTS still see themselves as “country kids from South Korea”, according to a trailer for a new documentary released Tuesday ahead of their huge comeback concert this weekend. More than a quarter of a million fans are expected to throng central Seoul on Saturday for BTS’s open-air gig, the first performance in almost four years by the boy band seen as the biggest in the world. A day before, the group’s fifth studio album, “ARIRANG” – named after a beloved folk song about longing and separation, something of an unofficial national anthem of South Korea – will be released. The documentary, “BTS: The RETURN”, will be released on Netflix on March 27, chronicling the seven-member group’s comeback after completing their military service, widely seen as a gruelling experience for young conscripts. “We are still just country kids from South Korea,” the group’s leader RM says in the trailer. “We are trying to find out what makes us BTS,” the 31-year-old added. At the height of their fame prior to their hiatus, BTS frequently ranked among the most popular artists on music streaming platform Spotify, mixing with the likes of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. After visiting the White House, releasing hugely successful English-language albums and performing at famous venues around the world, the group has chosen a historic stage at home for the grand comeback this weekend. The concert will be staged at Seoul’s sweeping Gwanghwamun Square, near the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace. The area is also where many of South Korea’s political protests have taken place, including those following former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024. The trailer featured the melody from “Arirang”, the folk song, which is associated by many with themes of resilience and enduring longing. “Arirang is a song imbued with han,” an unidentified BTS member says in the trailer, referring to the Korean term for an unresolved grief rooted in the country’s history, including war, division and family separation.