BTS returned to the stage as a full group on March 21, 2026, ‘BTS The Comeback Live: ARIRANG’ at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, holding their first full group concert in nearly four years. The seven members, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook, performed in front of a massive crowd in the city center and for a global audience via Netflix. The concert came a day after the release of their new album ‘ARIRANG’ and turned into an emotional reunion with fans after the band’s long military hiatus.
BTS comeback concert in Seoul and streaming live on Netflix
According to The Indian Express, BIGHIT MUSIC confirmed before the show that RM suffered an ankle injury during rehearsals, including a “sprain, partial ligament and contusion.” The report added that she would wear it for at least two weeks and restrict her movement, although she still joined the concert. The Indian Express, citing various Korean news reports, reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had deployed around 15,000 security personnel, including 6,500 police officers, for the event. The Korea Times reported that authorities have tightened security, raised the terror advisory level “in a cautious manner” and used metal detectors, drone jammers and AI-based CCTV monitoring to manage the crowds.The group opened the show with ‘Body to Body’. The performance featured “five women in traditional Korean clothing who closed their voices in Korean folk style,” connecting the comeback with the Korean cultural image. BTS then moved on to “Hooligan” and “2.0,” wearing black hip-hop outfits under the stage’s red lights. RM sat out part of the segment due to his injury.
BTS ‘ARIRANG’ songs, fan messages and emotional comeback
Before the concert, Suga wrote on Weverse: “Hello everyone. We are working hard with the members to put on a good show!” He also told fans, “I miss you. See you soon!” Jungkook shared his message before the event, writing, “We’re going to do our best on stage today! Let’s all come together safely and have fun.”On stage, BTS greeted fans by saying “Hello, we’re BTS” and thanked them for waiting. Jungkook added, “Tonight we have something special. We’ll do our best, we’ll give it all we got.” The band mixed new songs with older hits including ‘Butter’, ‘Mic Drop’, ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Mikrokosmos’.The concert gave fans a deeper look into the band’s mindset. RM said the group wanted to make songs that were true to them after spending two months working on music in Los Angeles. Suga said that there were long conversations behind the album and the goal was to show the honest side of the seven members. Jimin told fans, “We’re just like you, scared and worried all the time. However, the seven of us want to accept these feelings and continue swimming together.“He carried that theme into the performance of ‘Swim’ and into the final stretch of the show. BTS closed the night with ‘Mikrokosmos’, thanked ARMY for their support and asked fans to return home safely after the concert.
