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Pyo Kyung-min

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Stay tuned for Pyo Kyung-min's latest K-pop stories, where she digs into the backstories that matter. She’d love to hear from you — share your thoughts at pzzang@koreatimes.co.kr. After all, every article gets better with insights from those who love the scene, just like she does!

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K-pop

Fans elated despite big-city exhaustion just hours ahead of BTS’ Gwanghwamun show

Hours before BTS is set to take the stage at Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, it had already begun to feel less like a city center and more like a vast, improvised fan village. By Saturday afternoon, sidewalks, subway exits and café terraces surrounding the plaza were packed with fans of BTS — known as ARMY — from across Korea and overseas. Some leaned against barricades scrolling through streaming apps, while others clustered beneath roadside trees, sharing snacks and swapping travel stories while keeping a constant eye on the vastly expanding crowd. The mood was a mix of fatigue and excitement — a familiar paradox for fans who had traveled long distances for a rare chance to witness the group up close. “There are so many people here which makes it quite exhausting, but we’re planning to stay here until the concert starts at 8 p.m.,” said Han Hee-young, 20, who had arrived early with her friend Sugdiyona, 19, from Uzbekistan. The two stood out in the throng with purple balloons and ice-cream cones — the symbolic color of the group — purchased from a nearby café, smal

Mar 21, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Fans elated despite big-city exhaustion just hours ahead of BTS’ Gwanghwamun show
K-pop

It's the day! D-Day arrives for BTS Gwanghwamun comeback concert

Intense anticipation continues to grow in Seoul on Saturday as the countdown enters its final hours for BTS’ full-group comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square, with a massive crowd expected to gather in the Korean capital for the landmark event. The free outdoor concert, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and run for approximately one hour, is being staged to celebrate the release of the group’s fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG,” which dropped Friday. The performance will mark BTS’ first major stage in Korea as a complete seven-member act since completing mandatory military service. Authorities estimate that as many as 260,000 visitors could converge on the Gwanghwamun and City Hall area throughout the day. From early morning, fans from across Korea and overseas have begun filling nearby hotels, cafes and tourist sites, lending a festive energy to central Seoul. With a global livestream through Netflix also planned, the concert is expected to reach millions of viewers worldwide. As anticipation builds toward showtime, the Gwanghwamun stage is poised to host one of the most close

Mar 21, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
It's the day! D-Day arrives for BTS Gwanghwamun comeback concert
K-pop

Different passports, same pulse: ARMY counts down the minutes to BTS show in Seoul

Anticipation has peaked across Seoul. From subway platforms to cafe-lined streets, signs of K-pop juggernaut BTS’ impending Gwanghwamun Square performance and its vast global impact are increasingly visible throughout the capital. Light sticks protrude from backpacks, flashes of merchandise are seen as people weave through pedestrian traffic and clusters of overseas visitors move between landmarks that have taken on new symbolic meaning for the group’s worldwide fandom, called ARMY. Although the concert has yet to begin, its influence is already reshaping the city’s atmosphere, transforming central Seoul into a gathering point for a transnational community. Fans from across continents have arrived in steady waves, many describing the trip as the culmination of years of anticipation. “I became a fan during the pandemic,” said Rashika, who flew in from California and headed directly to Gwanghwamun after landing Thursday. “We followed all their solo releases, but seeing them together again feels completely different. It feels like a moment I've been waiting for.” At Gwanghwamun

Mar 20, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Different passports, same pulse: ARMY counts down the minutes to BTS show in Seoul
K-pop

BTS revisits roots, swims forward on new album 'ARIRANG'

K-pop juggernaut BTS has released its fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG,” marking the group’s first studio project together in nearly four years and signaling what the members describe as the start of a new chapter, “BTS 2.0.” The 14-track record follows the 2022 anthology album “Proof” and was shaped through extended songwriting sessions involving all seven members. Part of that work took place in Los Angeles, where dozens of demo tracks were developed and refined. Built around themes of identity, growth and shared experience, “ARIRANG” is framed by the group as a reflection of BTS' identity today. The title draws from the Korean folk song long associated with longing and resilience, an idea the band said it aimed to reinterpret in a contemporary pop context. Following the release, BTS is set to begin major promotional activities, including a large-scale comeback performance at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square that will be livestreamed globally through Netflix. Roots, risk, sound of return Yet promotional scale alone does not explain what “ARIRANG” is trying to do. After

Mar 20, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS revisits roots, swims forward on new album 'ARIRANG'
K-pop

BTS chronology: From global breakthrough to Gwanghwamun comeback

When K-pop powerhouse BTS takes the stage for its comeback performance at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, Saturday, the moment is expected to carry significance beyond a typical return to the spotlight. More than a decade after debuting in small studios and modest concert venues, the seven members will perform in the symbolic center of the Korean capital — not only as returning superstars, but as artists whose rise has reshaped the scale and global reach of K-pop. The performance coincides with the release of "ARIRANG," BTS' first full-length studio album as a complete group in nearly four years and its first major collective activity following the completion of its members' mandatory military service. For fans and industry observers alike, the Gwanghwamun concert represents a key moment in BTS' trajectory, as well as a test of the group’s continued global drawing power. BTS — consisting of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — debuted in June 2013 with the single album "2 Cool 4 Skool." At a time when the K-pop industry was bombarded with rookie groups, the group distin

Mar 20, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS chronology: From global breakthrough to Gwanghwamun comeback
K-pop

BTS drops music video teaser for 'SWIM' as full-group return nears

K-pop supergroup BTS has heightened anticipation for its return with a cinematic teaser for the music video of its upcoming title track, signaling its first full-group comeback in nearly four years. BigHit Music, the label behind the boy band, released the teaser at midnight Wednesday through the group’s official social media accounts and YouTube channel. The clip previews a portion of the melody from “SWIM,” the lead single from BTS’ upcoming fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG,” due Friday. The teaser unfolds with a woman running into an empty museum and scanning its exhibition halls before stopping in front of a large ship model. As the surrounding lights gradually fade, the vessel remains under a spotlight. The scene then shifts to a glimmering ocean, where sunlight reflects off calm waves. The word “SWIM” appears across the water as the video fades out. The music video is directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Tanu Muino, known for her work on Jung Kook’s “Standing Next to You” music video as well as projects for global pop acts including Post Malone, Doja Cat and Dua

Mar 18, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS drops music video teaser for 'SWIM' as full-group return nears
K-pop

Why K-pop concerts are breaking out of domes, infiltrating cityscapes

As K-pop supergroup BTS prepares to stage a free comeback concert at Seoul's iconic Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday, the event is drawing attention not only for its scale but also for what it signals about the evolving spatial strategy of K-pop performances. The show, linked to the group's upcoming full-length album "Arirang," is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors into central Seoul. While a limited number of fans will be admitted to designated viewing areas near the main stage, significantly larger crowds are likely to gather along surrounding avenues stretching toward Sungnye Gate and Cheonggye Stream, turning the entire district into an open-air concert setting. The event reflects a broader shift in which major K-pop performances are increasingly being staged in prominent urban locations — often as free or publicly accessible spectacles — rather than remaining confined to indoor arenas and domes. Entertainment agencies and local governments alike have begun using such events to expand the genre's engagement beyond the core fan base, attract city visitors and boost

Mar 17, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Why K-pop concerts are breaking out of domes, infiltrating cityscapes
K-pop

Why K-pop remains popular in China despite cultural disputes

When recent online disputes between Southeast Asian and Korean netizens were reposted on Chinese social media, Irene Jin felt a sense of deja vu. For the longtime K-pop fan, the arguments echoed a wave of anti-Korean sentiment she remembered well from years earlier — one that had put K-pop fandom in the crossfire. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a wave of large-scale criticism of Korean idol groups over cultural appropriation,” said Jin, who has followed K-pop for more than a decade. “Many groups used elements associated with traditional Chinese culture in their content — such as Chinese knotting and folding screens — but often described them broadly as ‘Oriental style.’” The disputes have played out repeatedly. In 2020, stage outfits worn by girl group Mamamoo drew criticism from Chinese netizens who argued that the designs drew too heavily from Hanfu, China’s traditional clothing. They rejected the group’s characterization of the costumes as a modernized take on hanbok, Korea’s traditional attire, framing them instead as an appropriation of Chinese cu

Mar 14, 2026By Alice Li and Pyo Kyung-min
Why K-pop remains popular in China despite cultural disputes
K-pop

GIRLSET, SANTOS BRAVOS signal next phase of K-pop's global strategy

K-pop agencies are accelerating their push into overseas markets this month, unveiling new music from global acts positioned beyond the traditional K-pop idol framework. March has seen fresh releases from JYP Entertainment's global girl group GIRLSET and HYBE Labels' Latin boy band SANTOS BRAVOS, underscoring how major labels are continuing to refine exportable versions of the K-pop production system. GIRLSET, rebranded from VCHA, returned March 6 with the digital single "Tweak," a track shaped by JYP's founder and chief producer Park Jin-young alongside Grammy-winning hitmaker Diego Ave. Built on a sleek blend of late-1990s R&B textures, the song draws on vintage sonic references while maintaining K-pop's polished performance focus. The accompanying music video also quickly gained traction online, with the clip surpassing 10 million views on YouTube by Thursday and reaching No. 1 on the platform's worldwide music video trending chart shortly after its release. HYBE's Latin boy band SANTOS BRAVOS followed with the release of its first mini album, "DUAL," Friday. The six-track project pre

Mar 13, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
GIRLSET, SANTOS BRAVOS signal next phase of K-pop's global strategy
K-pop

BTS' animated teaser traces global journey of 'Arirang'

K-pop supergroup BTS released an animated teaser Friday for its upcoming full-length album “Arirang,” using imagery tied to the global journey of Korea’s best-known folk song of the same name. The video, posted on the group’s official social media accounts, opens with seven young men winding a gramophone as the melody of “Arirang” begins to play. They are later shown crossing the Pacific Ocean by boat, a symbolic narrative that frames the song’s spread beyond Korea. The clip transitions to a modern concert setting, depicting BTS performing before rotating crowds, linking the group’s contemporary global success with the folk song’s historical movement overseas. BigHit Music said the concept was inspired by records showing that one of the earliest known recordings of “Arirang” was made in Washington, D.C., in 1896. The agency described the video as an attempt to introduce international audiences to the cultural and emotional background of the song. “We wanted to share the story behind ‘Arirang’ with listeners who may not be familiar with it,” the agency said. B

Mar 13, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS' animated teaser traces global journey of 'Arirang'
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