25/03/2026

LYFE WEDNESDAY | MAR 25, 2026

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Malaysian Paper

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BTS member Jin.

M ORE than 100,000 fans turned out to see K-pop superstar boy band BTS’s first concert in nearly four years, its label Hybe said on Sunday, a smaller number than originally expected for the highly-anticipated event in central Seoul. The seven-member group took to the stage together for the first time following a years-long hiatus prompted by mandatory military service, with some stationed near the heavily-fortified border with North Korea. The comeback concert was held last Saturday against the backdrop of the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace – fitting for the “Trailblazers

Bangtan Boys’ dope comeback BTS performing during the comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. – ALL PICS FROM AFP/BIGHIT MUSIC/NETFLIX

o Boy band draws over 100,000 fans to Seoul concert of K-pop” – with thousands of fans from South Korea and abroad singing along. “An estimated 104,000 fans attended the Gwanghwamun Square concert, based on ticket sales and data from the country’s three major mobile carriers,” Hybe said in a statement to AFP. The figure was lower than an initial projection of 260,000, while police estimates of the crowd size were far lower at about 42,000, according to Yonhap news agency. Netflix livestreamed the concert to about 190 countries. Fans waved a sea of glowsticks and sang along to the group’s hits, holding their phones aloft to film the performance as giant screens set up across the venue allowed the crowd to watch. Some 15,000 police officers and security personnel were mobilised for the concert, with barricades lining the roads and nearby venues shut. Following Saturday’s concert, the superstar group will embark on its “Arirang” world tour, beginning April 9 in Goyang, South Korea. Spanning 82 concerts across 34 cities, the 2026–2027 tour will take place in Asia, North America, Europe and Latin America. Tickets for shows in South Korea, North America and Europe sold out within hours.

BTS member V.

BTS member Jung Kook.

BTS member Suga.

BTS member RM.

BTS member J-Hope.

Spring day for K-pop supergroup BTS as album Arirang sets new records K-POP supergroup BTS has sold nearly four million copies of its new album Arirang on the first day of release, marking the band’s highest first-day sales to date, its agency said on Saturday. News Agency reported. The figure surpasses the group’s previous first-week record of 3.37 million copies set by its fourth studio album Map of the Soul: 7 in February 2020. Produced under the direction of Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk, the album explores BTS’s identity as a group that began in Korea and reflects universal feelings conveyed through its musical journey.

according to the label. Its lead single Swim reached number one on iTunes Top Songs charts in 90 markets, including the US, Japan, Britain, Germany and France. In South Korea, the track debuted at number one on local streaming services Melon and Bugs, with all songs from the album entering Melon’s Top 100.

The lead track carries a message of resilience and moving forward through life’s waves. – Bernama-Yonhap

Arirang has also topped iTunes Top Albums charts in 88 countries and regions, including Italy, Mexico and Sweden,

BigHit Music said the band’s fifth studio album recorded 3.98 million sales within 24 hours of its release last Friday, Yonhap