South Korean media banners appeared to have been consumed by rumours about BTS potentially holding a free concert for fans Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. The K-pop boy group’s agency, Big Hit Music (subsidiary of HYBE), was quick to control the chatter by addressing the widespread rumours.
The eye-widening reports concerning Korean fans emerged when some international fans of the seven-member K-pop sensation had already been feeling disheartened and left out after the boy group’s announcement missed out on including their countries on their world tour map.
Fans in India were especially left heartbroken as the South Asian country once again missed out on earning an official nod in the K-pop act’s world tour date announcements.
The forthcoming world tour attached to the group’s soon-to-release 5th full-length album “ARIRANG” has already been billed as the biggest-scale tour in K-pop history as it spans a total of 79 shows across 34 cities worldwide. This list is expected to be expanded later, as the group has already disclosed that dates for its 2027 world tour leg have yet to be announced.
BTS’ agency responds to rumours of free concert in South Korea
On Monday, BTS’ label addressed the rumours of a free concert being slated for South Korean fans in Seoul in a statement to K-media outlet Newsen. Big Hit Music firmly established that discussions about such an event were still ongoing and had not been finalised.
However, the answer still lacked clarity. On one hand, the company suggested that official confirmations tied to the matter had yet to be rolled out. On the other, it maintained that a formal notice would be issued once the location and schedule are finalised.
The rumours seemed to have found ground to breed after BTS’ agency recently applied to the National Heritage Administration, seeking permission to use and film multiple locations like Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Sungnyemun Gate area, as per K-media report.
Newsen has since reported that the Cultural Heritage Committee will review the issue at 2 pm KST on Tuesday, January 20.
Have BTS ever held a free concert?
Yes, BTS have held multiple free concerts in the past. The last such event to make big headlines was when RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook reunited for a concert in Busan to support South Korea’s bid to host the World Expo 2030.
Titled ‘BTS Yet To Come in Busan,’ the free concert event attracted an audience of about 52,000 people to a South Korean stadium, as per the K-media outlet Yonhap News Agency. The concert turned into a particularly popular affairs as it followed the septet’s hiatus announcement that same year.
More about BTS World Tour 2026
BTS rolled out the official announcement about its world tour slate after dropping the big news of their March 20 “ARIRANG” comeback. On January 14, the K-pop group finally unveiled it first world tour dates roster, as they prepare to jump back into full-group activities following their respectively military stints and solo music release.
The 2026 BTS world tour is set to commence with a concert at Goyang Stadium on April 9. And so, it remains unclear how the purported and yet-to-be-confirmed free concert will fit, if at all, into the members’ already tight schedule.
It also remains to be seen whether India will ultimately be added to the group’s 2027 world tour slate. Stay tuned.