March 20, 2026 | 05:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - K-pop megastars BTS released their fifth studio album on Friday, their first in nearly four years, ahead of a major comeback concert in Seoul.
The 14-track album ARIRANG is named after a traditional Korean folk song.
It is billed as reflecting the South Korean boy band's roots and identity and has been described by the entertainment magazine Billboard as "a love letter to their home country."
The album comes after a hiatus during which members completed around 18 months of mandatory military service.
"We gave deep thought to our identity — and how best to express ourselves authentically — across the entirety of our music and performances," BTS member Jimin said ahead of the release.
"As an extension of that process, we also revisited the significance of our background as a group comprised entirely of Korean members."
Hundreds of thousands to attend BTS concert
The group is set to perform songs from the new album at an open-air concert at Seoul's historic Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday.
Around 260,000 people are expected to attend, with hotels in Seoul booked out as thousands travel from across the world to catch BTS in action.
Fans such as Mara Cristia Yao and Rodessa Ericka Bonon from the Philippines, who could not secure their tickets for the Saturday concert, are still in Seoul to be near their idols.
"We are just going to come to this area anyway. We are figuring out where to position ourselves tomorrow," Yao told AFP news agency.
The concert will be livestreamed by Netflix in around 190 countries.
BTS will embark on a world tour in April which is expected to last nearly three months.
Read: BTS Teases Comeback with 'ARIRANG Decoding' Challenge for ARMY
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