I watched this concert with my family on Netflix and I have to say it was pretty well done. Seoul really showcased itself during the concert:
K-pop megastar BTS held its first full-group concert in Seoul on Saturday since all members completed their mandatory military service, drawing fans from around the world to the heart of the South Korean capital.
The seven members delivered the first live performance of key tracks of its fifth studio album, “Arirang,” released on Friday, at Gwanghwamun Square.
The record is the first group release from the band in three years and nine months, following “Proof” in June 2022. After the release, the members took a break from its group projects with a promise to reunite as a full group after all its member complete their mandatory military duty.
The one-hour show opened with approximately 50 traditional Korean dancers in black costumes lining the “woldae,” a ceremonial stage in front of Gyeongbok Palace’s main gate. As the performers split into two groups, the seven members revealed themselves on a stage at the northern end of the square, drawing enthusiastic cheers from thousands of fans who crowded the venue.
You can read more at the link, but one thing I noticed watching the concert was that the U.S. Embassy was totally dark. The other buildings around Gwanghwamun were lighted and decorated for the concert and the U.S. embassy stood out as the lone dark building I noticed. I wonder if anyone from Netflix even approached the U.S. embassy to see if they would be willing to at least turn their lights on for the concert?
Big salute to Jin for completing his mandatory military service instead of trying to find some kind of exemption to get out of it:
Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, was discharged from his 18 months of mandatory military service Wednesday, with fans worldwide eagerly anticipating his return to the music scene.
After hugging his fellow soldiers in turn during a brief, teary farewell ceremony inside the 5th Army Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, 61 kilometers north of Seoul, the singer walked out of the compound at about 9 a.m. to be welcomed by his bandmates.
During his service, he served as an assistant drill instructor at the Army recruit training center there.
After saluting in front of the main gate, Jin received a bouquet of flowers and was seen smiling brightly as he reunited with five of his bandmates — J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook. RM, currently serving in a military brass band, marked the occasion with a celebratory saxophone performance of the band’s megahit single “Dynamite.”
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
With such short mandatory service times in Korea there is not much training V is going to receive to make him a very effective special operator. I wonder if he volunteered for this unit or the ROK military put him in it for publicity reasons?:
Photos of K-pop supergroup BTS member V in the gear of a counter-terrorism unit have been unveiled, a Facebook page on the South Korean military showed Thursday.
Images of V wearing pitch black Special Duty Team (SDT) attire were released Wednesday on the page, which serves as an anonymous bulletin board for military service members.
V enlisted in the military last December for his mandatory service and was accepted to join the military police during boot camp training, according to the Army.
The BTS member has since been assigned to the SDT, which focuses on counter-terrorism and other special operations, under the Army’s 2nd Corps.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Unlike those that have avoided the mandatory military service obligation in Korea, I definitely have respect for the BTS members who are putting their lives on hold to serve their country:
The remaining four members of K-pop megastar BTS — RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook — will begin their mandatory military service next month, music industry sources said Wednesday.
According to the sources well informed of the matter, RM and V will enlist on Dec. 11, followed by Jimin and Jungkook the next day.
In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. The members were allowed to postpone their military service until the end of the year when they turn 30, under a conscription law revised in 2020.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
