Unexpectedly low reception for the BTS music group that returned after 4 years

After four years of military service, the South Korean music group BTS made a comeback on March 20, 2026, with their fifth album, 'Arirang'. Their return was further amplified by a massive free concert held on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul and their appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'.

However, even amidst this immense popularity and anticipation, this period became highly talked about and controversial due to insufficient audience participation, security issues, strong criticism from fans, shortcomings in promotional activities, and various controversial incidents on social media.

Although over 250,000 (260,000+) fans were strongly expected to attend the free concert, which was broadcast live on Netflix, the actual attendance was surprisingly limited to between 42,000 and 104,000. It is believed that the strict security measures, road closures, and the option to watch from home via Netflix contributed to the lower turnout at the concert, which began with RM greeting fans with "Annyeonghaseyo! We’re back" and then performing "Body to Body". Local businesses, who had prepared ingredients expecting thousands of customers, suffered significant losses, and residents faced severe inconvenience due to traffic congestion. Consequently, HYBE and BTS were forced to publicly apologize, and HYBE's stock price also fell. Additionally, critics pointed out that deploying thousands of police officers was an unnecessarily excessive measure.

Another alarming incident was the confiscation of numerous illegal weapons, such as gas guns, tasers, and knives, by the police at the concert's security checkpoints. One woman is considering legal action, claiming that the fruit knife she possessed was for self-defense, while others stated that these were merely common utensils used by chefs. Nevertheless, this incident added a sense of 'terror alert' rather than a celebratory atmosphere for fans.

A few days before the concert, RM suffered an ankle sprain, bone injury, and ligament tear during practice, which he announced on social media with a crying emoji. Consequently, he performed with limited movements, wearing a cast cover. During the concert, a tear was noticed in his pants, and fans initially panicked, thinking it was an accident due to his reputation for often breaking things, but it was later confirmed to be a deliberate fashion design.

Furthermore, a photo posted on the official BTS Instagram account (@bts.bighitofficial) on March 26 caused strong outrage among fans. The reason was the absence of Jin in the post, which showed other members taking photos on Suga's stairs, leading fans to accuse HYBE of continuously marginalizing the group's eldest member. This incident brought back rumors of Jin crying and previous instances of him being excluded from album creator lists, prompting angry fans to cancel their 'Arirang' album pre-orders in protest.

With the aim of boosting sales, BTS released various physical editions of the 'Arirang' album, among which the edition named "Living Legend" was heavily ridiculed by Korean internet users. Many accused it of being a display of their 'arrogance' and 'hubris,' stating that it completely contradicted the concept of humility in Korean culture, and questioned if they had any conscience.

Another promotional video released concurrently with the 'Arirang' album also faced strong criticism. This animated video, created as a tribute to Korean students studying at Howard University in America, was accused by internet users of being culturally insensitive because it depicted a group of white students instead of the majority Black students at the university.

Furthermore, before BTS performed their song "Swim" on Jimmy Fallon's show, comedian Seth Herzog, who was hyping up the audience, asked, "Anyone from the North?" This question was heavily criticized by fans as being racially discriminatory, implying it was aimed at North Korea. Faced with strong fan protest and anger, he later had to apologize for it.

Meanwhile, on March 26, Jungkook caused a stir in the media and online by following several other K-pop stars on TikTok but deliberately omitting aespa. Many interpreted this as either a confirmation or avoidance of rumors regarding his alleged romantic relationship with aespa's Winter. Additionally, other incidents during this period included a viral scene from the Netflix documentary "BTS: The Return" where Bang Si-hyuk interrupted the members' story, the arrest of several individuals who pursued Jungkook in 2025-2026, and a joke made about RM's height of 6 feet 7 inches on Jimmy Fallon's show.