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| Photo = BigHit Music |
BTS is spearheading the spread of Korean culture with ARIRANG, their fifth full-length album, which Bang Si-hyuk served as executive producer for.
Their comeback show set the tone from the start. On March 21, BTS staged "BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE｜ARIRANG" across Gwanghwamun Square, turning a typical comeback into a historic cultural statement. Naming the record after Korea’s signature folk song, the group chose the symbolic Gwanghwamun Square as their stage, capturing both the plaza and all seven members in a single, striking image.
The Gwanghwamun performance is said to have been Bang Si-hyuk’s idea. Yoo Dong-ju, head of HYBE Music Group APAC, explained at a pre-show briefing that choosing Gwanghwamun was tied to BTS’s identity. "We asked what would feel most like BTS and what only BTS could do," Yoo said. "After roughly four years, this comeback felt like a historic moment to show who BTS are now and who they'll be next. Producer Bang Si-hyuk felt that if BTS were to return after becoming global superstars who started in Korea, the starting point should be Korea — and it should be the country’s most iconic site."
On March 24, BTS met fans in New York at a special rooftop event on Pier 17, Spotify X BTS: SWIMSIDE. While waiting, fans sang along to the album track "Body to Body," and when the section that incorporates the folk melody "Arirang" played, the crowd joined in a massive singalong — a moment that quickly grabbed headlines.
Bang Si-hyuk had predicted that during performances in front of crowds of 60,000 to 70,000, seeing more than half of an international audience sing the "Arirang" chorus would be a profoundly iconic image. That forecast — that the power of "Arirang" would spread worldwide — appears to be coming true.
On March 26 and 27, BTS appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, presented Fallon with custom "K-slippers" they had prepared, and during a performance at the Guggenheim Museum they replaced audience chairs with floor cushions, subtly sharing traditional Korean sensibilities with an international audience.
ARIRANG is posting staggering numbers. According to Hanteo Chart on March 27, the album released on March 20 posted first-week sales of 4,169,464 copies, setting a new team record. The album reached million-seller status roughly ten minutes after release and sold 3,980,000 copies on its first day alone — the highest single-day sales for any album released in 2026.
Global success has followed. On Apple Music, ARIRANG topped charts in 115 countries and regions, confirming an international ARIRANG craze. The album also registered BTS's highest first-day stream count among their releases and made them the most-streamed artist on Apple Music that day.
Billboard posted a chart preview on March 30 indicating that ARIRANG will debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the April 4 chart, marking BTS's seventh No. 1 on the main albums chart.
The album's impact in Japan is equally remarkable. ARIRANG debuted at No. 1 on Oricon's Weekly Combined Album Ranking dated March 30, becoming the group’s seventh chart-topping release. It recorded the highest weekly sales among foreign artists this year and swept Oricon’s Weekly Album Ranking, Weekly Digital Album Ranking, and Western Music Album Ranking.
ARIRANG also entered the top spot on the U.K. Official Albums Chart (March 27–April 3), topped France's SNEP Top Albums (March 20–26), led Australia's ARIA Top 50 Albums and Vinyl Chart, and reached No. 1 on Germany's Offizielle Deutsche Charts (March 27) on both the album and single charts. BTS is the first group in chart history to top both German charts at the same time.
In Korea, without appearing on broadcast programs, BTS swept No. 1 across four music shows — MBC M's Show! Champion, Mnet's M Countdown, KBS2's Music Bank, and SBS's Inkigayo — completing a clean sweep on music broadcasts.
[Sports Today reporter Yoon Hye-young ent@stoo.com]
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