Fans of K-pop group BTS, known as ARMY, filmed a promotional comeback video broadcast at Shinsegae Square in Jung-gu, central Seoul, on March 20, just one day before the group’s highly anticipated concert at Gwanghwamun Square. This dedicated fan effort, captured in a Korea Times photo by Park Ji-yeon, underscored the immense global excitement for the K-pop supergroup.
Korean culture has truly become part of everyday life around the world. Imagine former U.S. President Barack Obama nodding along as children at a care home sang “Soda Pop,” a song from the animated film “KPop Demon Hunters.” Or director Steven Spielberg waving a K-pop light stick at the Academy Awards. While these scenes might once have been difficult to imagine, they now reflect a powerful reality: the global rise of Korean content and the explosive growth of K-pop fandom. This widespread enthusiasm, shared across generations, highlights the undeniable cultural influence Korea now wields.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean content exports soared to a record 22.26 trillion won ($14.9 billion) in 2025, a testament to the surging global demand. The impact of the Korean Wave goes far beyond economic figures; it profoundly shapes how overseas audiences interpret and engage with Korean culture, leaving its mark on local cultures worldwide.
BTS Takes Gwanghwamun: A Global Stage and Local Debate
One of the biggest events in Korean popular culture during the first half of 2026 was undoubtedly the March 21 comeback concert of K-pop supergroup BTS, staged at Seoul’s iconic Gwanghwamun Square. Officially titled “BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG,” the show was live-streamed by Netflix to more than 190 countries, transforming one of Seoul’s best-known landmarks into a truly global cultural stage.
However, the concert also temporarily disrupted daily life in central Seoul. Authorities restricted roads around Gwanghwamun for an extensive 33 hours, inconveniencing residents, workers, and commuters. The significant use of government resources for a privately organized entertainment event also sparked a considerable public debate in Korea: “Who does the square belong to, and how should it be used?”
This question lingered in Korean society. Meanwhile, globally, about 18.4 million Netflix subscribers tuned into the livestream that day, according to the streaming service, demonstrating the immense international interest. So, how did this global spectacle resonate with international audiences?
A chart generated by artificial intelligence
Foreign visitors in Korea experienced something truly unusual: receiving concert-related information from government authorities through public safety alerts sent directly to their mobile phones.
An analysis of 1,527 X posts about the concert, written in nine languages including English, Japanese, and Spanish, during the week surrounding the March 21 performance (March 18 to 24), provided fascinating insights. The research, commissioned by The Hankook Ilbo from consulting company Ars Praxia, represents the first analysis of international social media posts regarding this landmark BTS concert. The findings revealed that overseas posts often described Gwanghwamun Square as an urban stage, showing strong interest in Korean cultural elements like hanbok (traditional Korean clothing). Even President Lee Jae Myung’s message about the concert garnered widespread international attention. Interestingly, Japanese-language posts particularly focused on the debate over the use of public space and resources for the event.
Safety Alerts: A Surprising Part of the Spectacle
A Thai user posts on X regarding the BTS concert at Gwanghwamun Square. Korea Times file
“I was surprised when I received this kind of notification on my phone. It became such a topic of conversation among my friends. I heard that in Korea, these messages are normally used to provide information about disaster preparedness or emergencies. But it felt unfamiliar to receive this kind of message because of a (BTS) concert,” commented a Thai X user with the handle @hyunx****.
This Thai-language post, appearing on X on March 20, one day before the concert, referred to several alerts warning of road restrictions near Gwanghwamun due to the show. The post quickly drew 2,898 reposts. As screenshots and descriptions of these alerts circulated online, overseas users discussed not only the concert itself but also Korea’s mobile disaster and safety alert system – a reaction driven by the rarity of concert-related safety alerts in their home countries.
Researchers also examined 200 posts expressing anticipation for the concert or describing the atmosphere around the venue. “Safety” appeared in 51 of those posts, or 25.5 percent, making it one of the most common foreign-language keywords. While Koreans saw these alerts as practical warnings about road closures to ease disruption, foreign users interpreted “safety” as a sign of both extensive government involvement and the sheer scale of the concert, implying significant crowd-management measures and public response.
Japan’s Perspective: Public Space, Industrial Policy, and “Cool Japan”
The debate surrounding the use of public resources for the Gwanghwamun concert resonated strongly with Japanese social media users.
“Early dismissal is truly surprising when this is not even a public project,” remarked an X user with the handle @dokka61****.
“BTS has a huge economic impact on Korea. But how does Netflix figure into the concert revenue? Are taxpayers then covering the cost of the public resources used?” questioned another user, @yunyu****.
“I want to know why they are trying to hold a concert in Gwanghwamun,” inquired a third user, @IuvztVGPyJu****.
These questions, rather than originating from domestic online communities, were posted in Japanese on X.
A Japanese user posts on X regarding the BTS concert at Gwanghwamun Square. Korea Times file
Mirroring the Korean-language discussion, Japanese posts delved into the extent of public support for a privately organized concert. News reports, covering the Korean societal debate over government resources used for the HYBE-Netflix event, reached Japan in real-time. This discussion extended beyond the immediate K-pop fandom due to Japanese users’ familiarity with central Seoul, including Gwanghwamun. The concert was not merely a distant entertainment event; its setting and effects allowed Japanese users to draw comparisons between Korea’s rules for public space and those in their own country.
Professor Lee Chang-min of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies noted that comparable Japanese spaces, such as Kasumigaseki (Tokyo’s government district) or the plaza outside the Imperial Palace, would have far tighter restrictions, making a commercial concert there almost impossible. Professor Hosaka Yuji of Korea University’s Graduate School of Policy Studies added that Japanese society has an unusually strong concern for “what is public” and “whether something causes inconvenience to someone,” which explains their interest in the discourse surrounding the BTS Gwanghwamun concert.
K-pop supergroup BTS performs during “BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG” at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, March 21. Courtesy of Big Hit Music and Netflix
Some Japanese posts also sparked comparisons between the strength of Korea’s and Japan’s entertainment industries. “It was the excellent idea to turn an entire city center into a live concert venue. I hope Japan will try something like this too. But I wonder whether Japan has a singer who can bring together 100,000 people from around the world at once, so I do not think it would be easy in reality,” commented @megQ****. These comments highlighted the international competitiveness of the two countries’ entertainment industries. Professor Lee explained that in Japan, K-pop is often viewed not just as entertainment but as a successful example of content industry policy, especially given the widely perceived failure of Japan’s “Cool Japan” policy. This context led Japanese people to interpret the BTS Gwanghwamun concert as an issue involving industrial policy and national branding.
Researchers found that the March BTS concert generated strong interest among Japanese users on social media, with Japanese ranking second only to English among the nine languages analyzed, accounting for 355 posts.
Presidential Recognition Spreads Globally
An international user translates President Lee Jae Myung’s social media post regarding the BTS Gwanghwamun concert into Portuguese and shares it online. Captured from X
Posts sharing President Lee Jae Myung’s message drew the strongest response among all foreign-language material. President Lee posted about the event on X on March 18, proudly describing BTS as “artists who make Korea proud.” His message, “I hope this will be a meaningful occasion to share our beautiful cultural heritage and the appeal of K-culture, with ‘Arirang’ as its theme,” was swiftly translated into English and other languages, then widely circulated among international fans. These posts averaged 3,348 reposts – the highest figure among the analyzed foreign-language content – as overseas fans saw it as official recognition of BTS as true representatives of Korean culture.
For international audiences, the concert transcended a mere fandom event; it became a unique window into how Korea presented itself to the world. Hong Min-jung, a researcher at Ars Praxia, noted the recurring English keyword “historical” in non-Korean-language posts, reflecting overseas fans’ desire to imbue the BTS Gwanghwamun concert with meaning as a “historic event.” Notably, Spanish-language posts accounted for 80 of the total regarding BTS and Korea on the concert day, the highest for any language that day, underscoring the powerful online organizing capabilities of fans in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions.
Police officers control traffic and enforce restrictions in central Seoul during the BTS Gwanghwamun concert. Korea Times file
Same Concert, Different Interpretations: “The Square” vs. “Korea”
The research also examined 472 Korean-language posts from the same period. A significant portion – 121 posts – criticized the disruption to daily life, the use of government resources, or the decision to utilize the square for a private event. Debate over public access, everyday disruption, and government support formed a substantial part of the Korean-language discussion.
Foreign-language posts, however, more often framed Gwanghwamun Square as a place of celebration. The analysis found 159 foreign-language posts that mentioned the history of Gwanghwamun or its symbolism as a Korean landmark. An English-language post showing audience members singing “Arirang” together in the square drew an impressive 8,502 reposts, with another post describing the enchanting evening scene also gaining considerable attention.
This stark contrast highlights differing perspectives: For people who live and work in Seoul, Gwanghwamun Square serves as vital public infrastructure. Residents and commuters pass through it as part of everyday life, and restrictions directly impact their access to the city. For many overseas audiences, however, Gwanghwamun Square was seen as a symbolic stage where BTS and Korean culture magnificently converged. This difference appears to have shaped the contrasting viewpoints: Koreans saw “the square” and its practical implications, while international audiences saw “Korea” and its global cultural presentation.
Foreign tourists enjoy a BTS concert in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul, March 21. Overseas visitors eat tteokbokki and wear hanbok while touring nearby ancient palaces. Korea Times file
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
