BTS will stage a long-awaited comeback concert at a Seoul landmark

BTS will stage its long-awaited comeback concert on Saturday night at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, one of South Korea’s most famous landmarks.

SEOUL, South Korea — BTS will stage its long-awaited comeback concert on Saturday night at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, one of South Korea’s most famous landmarks that represents its royal heritage and political and cultural life.

In a free concert expected to draw tens of thousands of fans, the K-pop juggernaut’s seven members, all South Koreans, will perform songs from their first album in nearly four years, “ARIRANG,” whose title is taken from the most beloved traditional folk tune on the Korean Peninsula.

“‘ARIRANG’ is an album that embodies the origin and identity of BTS and carries the message that they want to convey now,” Hybe Corp., the parent company of BTS’ management agency, said in response to questions from The Associated Press. “Considering the symbolic significance of the word ‘Arirang,’ we’ve decided to hold a performance at Gwanghwamun, a place that represents Korea.”

Besides about 20,000 ticketed fans at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, about 240,000 others are expected to fill nearby areas to watch the BTS concert on temporary screens.Chung Sung-Jun / Getty ImagesGwanghwamun Square is named after the huge main gate of nearby Gyeongbokgung, a royal palace for Korea’s Joseon dynasty, which ruled the peninsula for more than 500 years until its collapse in 1910.

Located in the heart of Seoul, the sprawling square is home to cultural and art events. It hosts giant statues of two of Korea’s most respected figures — King Sejong, who invented the Korean script in 1443, and navy admiral Yi Sun-shin, who defeated the Japanese invasion in the 16th century.