With approximately two weeks left until BTS’s highly anticipated full group comeback, the Chinese fandom is preparing large-scale support by directly occupying two massive billboards in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul.
Jungkook’s official Chinese fan club, JungkookCHINA (@Jungkook__China), is scheduled to broadcast a congratulatory video for Jungkook’s comeback on the 60m landmark mega-screen of the Koreana Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, from March 20th to 22nd. The video will be played for one minute every 30 minutes, repeating for 9 and a half hours each day.
V’s Chinese fan club, Baidu V Bar, is taking it to an even more impressive scale. They will broadcast a congratulatory video for V’s comeback on the ‘LUUX’ digital billboard on the exterior wall of the Dong-A Media Center in Gwanghwamun, repeating it a whopping 70 times from dawn to midnight on March 21st. LUUX is the largest J-shaped curved billboard in Korea, measuring 50m wide and 60m high, with a total area of 3,000㎡, equivalent to 12 volleyball courts. It is located in a highly visible area from Seoul City Hall, Gwanghwamun Square, and Cheonggyecheon, and this is the first time a Korean celebrity has exclusively decorated this billboard.
As the news spread, the response from fans around the world was explosive. Comments such as “Wow that is so huge! What a view!”, “Major LED billboard for Jungkook at GHM Koreana Hotel — right across from the main stage!!”, and “Thank you for organising such a wonderful project” poured in. Thank-you comments also followed, directed towards the Chinese fandom which has consistently supported Jungkook since 2017.
Meanwhile, the seating arrangement for the performance is also a hot topic. The stage for this performance will be set up on the north side of Gwanghwamun Square, and the area in front of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue has been designated as standing room. Domestic fans have reacted with comments such as “Seeing BTS next to Admiral Yi Sun-sin is an epic combination” and “Being able to hear Arirang in front of Chungmugong,” while some have raised complaints that the view from some seats is limited due to high-rise buildings and the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin. In response, HYBE is preparing an alternative method by linking major billboards in the Gwanghwamun area, such as the Koreana Hotel (K Vision), KT WEST, and Dong-A Ilbo (LUUX), to provide a ‘simultaneous broadcast across the city center.’
This support from the Chinese fandom is designed to be concentrated on the day of the ‘BTS Comeback Live: Arirang’ event, which will be held on March 21st at Gwanghwamun Square. BTS will release their 5th full album ‘ARIRANG’ on March 20th and hold the ‘BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG’ performance in the Gwanghwamun Square area on the evening of the 21st. This performance will be broadcast live to over 190 countries around the world via Netflix.
The performance, which is expected to draw a crowd of up to 260,000 people, will be broadcast live to over 190 countries via Netflix. While some Seoul citizens have voiced their discontent with subway stops being skipped and roads being closed off, saying “It’s not right to force BTS on people who aren’t interested in K-pop,” the fervor of the global fandom continues to heat up as the performance date approaches.
