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  BTS' comeback album and show 'ARIRANG' make a splash on Spotfiy and Netflix SEOUL, March 22 (AJP) -BTS’ first studio album in six years, “Arirang,” has opened with a blockbuster showing on Spotify, underlining the group’s enduring global pull and setting the pace for music releases in 2026. The album recorded 110 million streams worldwide on its first day, according to figures cited in the report, making it the biggest Spotify debut of the year so far and the largest opening day ever for a K-pop release on the platform. It also ran March 22, 2026
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  OPINION: A century show, carried with care SEOUL, March 22 (AJP) -It was billed as a comeback. It became something larger: a test of scale, identity and control — and, ultimately, a quiet assertion of how far K-pop, and Korea, have come. BTS returned to Gwanghwamun Plaza not just as artists resuming a career, but as men who had completed a national duty and reassembled a global phenomenon. Thirteen years into their journey, the performance was less about proving relevance than about defining legacy. T March 22, 2026
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  BTS Live: Orderly fan exit caps Gwanghwamun concert SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) - Nearly 50,000 people departed orderly and safely from Gwanghwamun Square late Saturday night as the BTS comeback concert came to a close. According to Seoul's real-time crowd management system, the assembly filled the central plaza to capacity before the performance began. To manage the turnout, city officials and local police released the crowd in stages, opening audience sections one by one to prevent congestion at nearby transit hubs. This ph March 21, 2026
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  BTS Live: Special forces, police, firefighters in action SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) - Large numbers of police and fire personnel have been deployed across central Seoul ahead of a performance by BTS, with security and safety measures stepped up in the Gwanghwamun area. Police have positioned riot units and traffic officers around Gwanghwamun Square, implementing vehicle restrictions and managing pedestrian flow in parts of the area. Special police units have also been deployed on site to prepare for any emergencies. Fire authorities have sta March 21, 2026
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  [UPDATE] BTS Live: K-pop legend reclaims global spotlight SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) -The silence that has defined the cultural landscape of Seoul for nearly four years vanished in a single, percussive instant as BTS initiated its Arirang comeback performance in the heart of Seoul on Saturday night. At least 50,000 people have occupied Gwanghwamun Square, according to Seoul's real-time crowd management system, creating a dense sea of violet light that stretches from the Sejong Center for Performing Arts to the g March 21, 2026
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  BTS Live: Packed, pushed, imperfect, yet orderly for BTS moment SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) -Two hours before BTS’s comeback concert, hundreds of fans without tickets for the free reserved seats had already formed tightly packed lines, hoping they would lead as close to the stage as possible beyond the police fence. The official seating at Gwanghwamun Plaza totaled 22,000, divided into Zone A for standing, Zone B for reserved seating and Zone C for additional seats. The rest were left to watch from around the plaza. Of March 21, 2026
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  BTS Live: Global fans throng merchandise booths as BTS prepares return SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) - Fans from across the globe gathered at official BTS merchandise booths in central Seoul on Saturday, marking a festive prelude to the first major performance by the group following a prolonged hiatus. The process for purchasing items, including a new lightstick for the seven-member group, was governed by a strict reservation system to manage crowds and prevent unauthorized resale. Lana Ro, 25, from Russia, bought two lightsticks—one for hers March 21, 2026
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  BTS Live: Proud to be an ARMY SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) - March 21, the day of the BTS comeback performance. Gwanghwamun Square was already filled with people. While several hours remained until the start of the performance, fans turned the wait into a festival. They took photos in front of the stage under construction and posed before the phrase "BTS IS BACK" engraved on the steps of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Some took photos of the members appearing on electronic billboards. Even among March 21, 2026
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  SPECIAL OPINION: Song crosses century as BTS stands at Gwanghwamun SEOUL, March 21 (AJP) - Songs rarely defy the gravity of time. Even those that define an era typically fade as the industry of music demands rapid production and immediate consumption. Most melodies remain trapped within their own chronology, yet Arirang stands as the definitive exception. It is not the work of a single composer or a finished product born at a specific moment; it is a collective creation, an accumulation of voices across a century of records and even longer oral trad March 21, 2026
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  BTS Live: How purple are you? Inside every ARMY's story SEOUL, March 21 (AJP)-Many had crossed the Pacific and the Atlantic. On the day of the concert, they arrived dressed for the scene — in purple. Scarves, dresses, glow sticks and dyed hair turned central Seoul into a moving spectrum of the group’s signature color, as fans circled the barricaded perimeter of Gwanghwamun Square ahead of BTS’s comeback concert. From the open-air stage, rehearsal tracks from the new album carried across the plaza — loud, me March 21, 2026