BTS Set to Shake South America With 14-Show Tour, Global Pop Symbol Draws 150,000

Global pop symbol set to shake South America

'BTS' will launch its massive 'South America tour' on the 2nd of next month in Bogotá, Colombia. Big Hit Music officially announced on the 22nd that major South American cities had activated emergency operations plans to prepare for an influx of large crowds ahead of BTS' arrival.

The host countries are responding as if the concerts were national festivals. Visit Bogotá, the official tourism agency of the tour's first stop, has designated the concert a major cultural event and hailed BTS as "an iconic group representing 'global pop' in the 21st century." Chile Travel, the country's tourism promotion agency, has also spotlighted the Santiago concert as a major national tourism spectacle, heightening anticipation across South America.

Argentina is mounting the most extensive infrastructure preparations. La Plata, where concerts are scheduled for the 21st and 23rd-24th of next month, is developing an integrated safety and traffic-management plan through a joint effort by the city and provincial governments. El Dia, a prominent local news outlet, cited the city of La Plata's own estimates and projected that more than '150,000 people' would gather in a single area. In July, the La Plata City Council officially appointed BTS as 'honorary foreign guests', extending an unusual level of national recognition.

Lima, Peru, has also taken on a festive atmosphere, with the entire city building excitement ahead of the concert through a large dance-cover festival and video screenings at a downtown fountain park. 'BTS' will visit 'five cities' in South America, beginning in Bogotá and continuing to Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil, leaving a landmark record of '14 shows' in total.