SEOUL, South Korea – Thousands of dedicated BTS fans defied pouring rain Thursday to fill a Seoul-area stadium and witness the K-pop global supergroup officially open their first world tour in nearly four years, marking the band’s full return after all members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service requirements.
The seven-member ensemble – RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – has prepared a career-spanning performance setlist that pulls from their years of hit records alongside their brand-new fifth studio album *ARIRANG*, the group’s first full release since every member finished their compulsory service. Six of the seven members completed active military duty, while Suga fulfilled his requirement as a social service agent due to a pre-existing shoulder injury; he was the final member to be discharged in June 2025.
This opening show marks BTS’ first headlining tour stop since their 2021–2022 *Permission to Dance on Stage* tour. Even with steady downpour, the 40,000-capacity venue reached full occupancy, a testament to the unwavering loyalty of the group’s global fanbase, known officially as ARMY. The Seoul tour run is scheduled to continue through April 12, kicking off a global itinerary that includes dozens of shows across the United States, Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia. Industry analysts project the tour could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in quarterly revenue, a staggering figure that underscores the band’s enduring commercial power years after their last group performances.
The stadium launch comes less than one month after BTS first celebrated their full group comeback with a free open-air concert at Seoul’s iconic Gwanghwamun Square, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe to the city center. Their new album *ARIRANG*, named for the centuries-old Korean folk song widely considered the unofficial anthem of the Korean peninsula, has already claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 album chart, while the record’s lead single “Swim” has also topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
For context, South Korea’s mandatory conscription system requires all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 to complete up to 21 months of military service, a policy designed to maintain national defense readiness amid ongoing tensions with North Korea. The requirement had forced BTS to pause group activities starting in 2022, as members entered service one by one over the following years.
First debuting in June 2013 under South Korea’s Big Hit Music, BTS – short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, translated as “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” – built their global following gradually. The group launched with the hip-hop focused single album *2 Cool 4 Skool*, released three full-length projects, and earned their first major career momentum with the 2016 album *Wings*. Their global breakthrough arrived in 2017, when their hit single “DNA” became the first track by a Korean boy band to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A subsequent performance at the American Music Awards cemented their international popularity, turning their fanbase ARMY into one of the most engaged and widespread fan communities in the world.
Following the conclusion of the South Korea shows, BTS will next travel to Tokyo for the next leg of the tour, before continuing on to stops across North America, Europe, South America, and the rest of Asia. The tour is scheduled to wrap in Manila next March, after a run of Australian shows scheduled for early 2027.