“BTS Comeback Live: Arirang (ARIRANG),” set for March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, will be livestreamed on Netflix to more than 190 countries. The broadcast is being framed not only as a comeback performance but also as a chance to showcase Korean cultural identity to a global audience.
At a Seoul tourism business briefing held on the 24th, Seoul Tourism Organization CEO Gil Ki-yeon said the Netflix livestream of BTS’ comeback concert would likely make Seoul better known, and he signaled plans to turn that attention into global tourism demand.
Netflix’s scale is a key factor. The concert will be available to subscribers without additional fees and can be watched on mobile devices and TVs, lowering barriers that typically limit offline shows to local audiences or ticket holders. Netflix has pointed to its capacity for large live events, including a 2024 boxing livestream, “Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson,” that drew 65 million concurrent connections.
The article also cited Netflix research in seven countries — Brazil, France, the United States, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan — finding Netflix was the main service through which overseas viewers encountered Korean content. Among foreigners who watched Korean content on Netflix, 72% said they intended to visit South Korea, compared with 37% among nonviewers, nearly double.
Since news of the BTS livestream was announced, overseas fans have shown strong interest in the venue. On social media, users posted comments such as “I’m excited for a stage at Gwanghwamun” and “A performance with Gyeongbokgung Palace as the backdrop is symbolic.” Some fans have shared historical context about the area and exchanged information about Korean culture, suggesting livestreaming can spur curiosity about the host city and its heritage.
The spread of content on global platforms can translate into broader economic effects across tourism, dining and cultural industries, the article said. A “2025 Global Hallyu Trend Analysis Report” released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture Information Service Agency said that after the success of “K-pop Demon Hunters,” bookings for K-pop experience packages rose 80% during the travel off-season from June to August.
The report also cited other examples: After the release of “폭싹 속았수다,” international passengers at Jeju Airport hit a record 2.8 million. And as Korean food gained renewed attention through titles including “Culinary Class Wars” and “Squid Game,” keywords such as “kimchi” and “chef” were cited as major terms in overseas media coverage related to K-food.
An industry official said the BTS livestream would help imprint both the current state of K-culture and South Korea’s appeal on viewers in more than 190 countries, adding that with global attention focused on Gwanghwamun, the economic and cultural ripple effects across related industries could be significant.
With Netflix as its distribution engine, the Gwanghwamun concert is expected to serve as a high-profile invitation for fans to look beyond the screen toward South Korea itself.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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