The highlight this time is the stage "BTS Comeback Live: Arirang" scheduled to take place on March 21, at Gwanghwamun Square (Seoul) and will be broadcast live via Netflix to 190 countries and territories.
K-pop critic Leo Kang recently recalled a quote from Homer B. Hulbert more than 120 years ago, published in The Korea Review in 1903: "Their vision now may be narrowed, but the potential explosive power of this emotion will one day reach a wider world and amaze all humanity". According to Kang, "Arirang" - a symbolic Korean folk song could be a vivid proof of that statement if recreated in contemporary K-pop language.
Leo Kang analyzed that the repetitive structure of "Arirang" - with the comeback chorus, slow tempo, rich in resonance - creates conditions for transformation into easy-to-follow dance moves, circular formations and synchronous movement rhythms. This effect was witnessed at KCON 2016 France, when the audience, even though they did not understand Korean, still blended into the repetitive rhythm, shifting from passive viewers to active participants.
In the BTS lineup, J-Hope is considered the "heart of the rhythm". His intuitive, energetic street dance style can play a role in leading collective movements, turning "Arirang" into an experience that is both Korean and globally universal. International media such as Forbes or Rolling Stone have recorded J-Hope's solo appeal in the North American market, further strengthening expectations about the spread of this performance.
Not only is it a music stage, the event at Gwanghwamun is also placed in a broader context of cultural exchange. If the Olympics promotes peace through sports, then BTS's "Arirang" can become evidence of the healing power of performing arts. Psychologist Kim Hee Seon (pen name Yundam) said that when crowds connect through transformative artistic experiences, that public space can become a "healing yard".
After the March performance, which was also the starting point for the 79-show tour in 34 cities, the question raised will be verified: can a hundred-year-old folk song, through the lens of K-pop, touch global emotions like the old prophecy?
