Foreign Media Hails BTS’ “Arirang” World Tour as They Write a “New K-pop Chapter”

BTS’ new world tour ‘Arirang (ARIRANG)’ is earning glowing reviews from music fans worldwide and from major international media, praised for its sweeping scale and distinctly Korean sense of beauty.

According to BigHit Music on the 16th, the three shows held from the 9th to the 12th at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex (Gyeonggi Province) sold out every night, attracting a total of about 132,000 attendees. In particular, the production won high praise for completing K-pop concert visuals by actively incorporating traditional Korean symbols into the stage design—featuring a 360-degree open stage, as well as motifs such as Gyeonghoeru and Geongong-gamri (건곤감리).

Global influential outlets have also been quick to praise the tour. UK music publication NME said, “BTS broke the usual formula for K-pop performances and presented a new direction,” adding that the tour carries both musical and cultural value. The BBC meanwhile reported, “Once again, the stage confirmed the unmistakable presence of a mega-star loved around the world,” and added, “With the largest-ever tour scale by any Korean group, it will be written into history.”

U.S. Billboard highlighted a standout moment from the show. Billboard said, “During the performance of ‘Body to Body,’ the traditional Korean folk song ‘Arirang’ was woven in seamlessly, and seeing tens of thousands of audience members singing along in unison stood out unmistakably,” praising it.

After kicking off the tour to a strong start, BTS will maintain the momentum with shows on the 17th and 18th at Tokyo Dome in Japan. They then plan to launch a full-scale world tour of 85 performances across 34 cities in North America, Europe, South America, and beyond.