BTS opens up about fears, excitement at historic 'Arirang' stage | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
OK By Woo Jae-yeon SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- BTS shared both excitement and heartfelt candor about the fears they carried through nearly four years apart, as the K-pop supergroup made their highly-anticipated return to the stage at Seoul's historic Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday night. "We kept asking ourselves what choices we should make and what kind of artist we want to be remembered as," RM, the group's leader, said. "In the end, we found that the answer wasn't outside but within us." The seven members all spoke candidly about the fears and uncertainties they felt while working on the new album, "Arirang," and preparing for Saturday's special performance, and what it meant to finally be back together. "I had so many worries before standing here today, but seeing you all again, I am happy," Jin said. BTS performs at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square during a concert marking the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, "Arirang," on March 21, 2026. (Yonhap) Jimin, clearly moved by the sea of fans braving the cold to fill the square, added, "All seven of us standing on stage together makes me so happy." Jungkook shared the pressure he had felt while making the album and the comeback. "I definitely felt some pressure, but being here in front of you all, it feels great," he said. BTS performs at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square during a concert marking the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, "Arirang," on March 21, 2026. (Yonhap) J-hope acknowledged the anxieties that came with the music-making process. "We had anxieties about whether people would keep waiting for us or if we'd be forgotten," he said. I keep making music." The performance, livestreamed globally on Netflix, marked the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, released the previous day. jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr (END) Keywords #BTS Articles with issue keywords Most Liked Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Most Saved Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Most Viewed All Categories (3rd LD) About 40,000 fans gather for BTS comeback concert in downtown Seoul (LEAD) S.

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By Woo Jae-yeon
SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- BTS shared both excitement and heartfelt candor about the fears they carried through nearly four years apart, as the K-pop supergroup made their highly-anticipated return to the stage at Seoul's historic Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday night.
"We kept asking ourselves what choices we should make and what kind of artist we want to be remembered as," RM, the group's leader, said. "In the end, we found that the answer wasn't outside but within us."
The seven members all spoke candidly about the fears and uncertainties they felt while working on the new album, "Arirang," and preparing for Saturday's special performance, and what it meant to finally be back together.
"I had so many worries before standing here today, but seeing you all again, I am happy," Jin said.
BTS performs at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square during a concert marking the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, "Arirang," on March 21, 2026. (Yonhap)
Jimin, clearly moved by the sea of fans braving the cold to fill the square, added, "All seven of us standing on stage together makes me so happy."
Jungkook shared the pressure he had felt while making the album and the comeback.
"I definitely felt some pressure, but being here in front of you all, it feels great," he said.
RM, whose ankle injury restricted his movement on stage, spoke about the group's two months of recording sessions in Los Angeles.
"We were working together to create music that truly feels like us," he said. "We spent a long time thinking about it and wanted this album to honestly capture who we are and what's been on our minds."
Suga said he wanted to show fans "the most honest side of the seven of us." "We worked hard to show a more mature and evolved BTS, and I am so happy to finally present it," he said.
BTS performs at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square during a concert marking the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, "Arirang," on March 21, 2026. (Yonhap)
J-hope acknowledged the anxieties that came with the music-making process.
"We had anxieties about whether people would keep waiting for us or if we'd be forgotten," he said.
Suga echoed the sentiment. "We spent a lot of time thinking about what we should hold onto, and what we need to change," he said. "We are still not completely sure and still feel anxious at times, but I think even those emotions are a part of who we are right now."
Before the group performed "Swim," the main track of the new album, V said with resolve, "All we can do is keep moving forward without stopping, one step at a time. I keep making music."
The performance, livestreamed globally on Netflix, marked the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, released the previous day.
jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
(END)
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BTS opens up about fears, excitement at historic 'Arirang' stage

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- I keep making music." The performance, livestreamed globally on Netflix, marked the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, released the previous day. jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr (END) Keywords #BTS Articles with issue keywords Most Liked Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Most Saved Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Most Viewed All Categories (3rd LD) About 40,000 fans gather for BTS comeback concert in downtown Seoul (LEAD) S.

### Implications
- OK By Woo Jae-yeon SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- BTS shared both excitement and heartfelt candor about the fears they carried through nearly four years apart, as the K-pop supergroup made their highly-anticipated return to the stage at Seoul's historic Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday night. "We kept asking ourselves what choices we should make and what kind of artist we want to be remembered as," RM, the group's leader, said. "In the end, we found that the answer wasn't outside but within us." The seven members all spoke candidly about the fears and uncertainties they felt while working on the new album, "Arirang," and preparing for Saturday's special performance, and what it meant to finally be back together. "I had so many worries before standing here today, but seeing you all again, I am happy," Jin said.
- Suga echoed the sentiment. "We spent a lot of time thinking about what we should hold onto, and what we need to change," he said. "We are still not completely sure and still feel anxious at times, but I think even those emotions are a part of who we are right now." Before the group performed "Swim," the main track of the new album, V said with resolve, "All we can do is keep moving forward without stopping, one step at a time.
- I keep making music." The performance, livestreamed globally on Netflix, marked the live debut of the group's fifth studio album, released the previous day. jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr (END) Keywords #BTS Articles with issue keywords Most Liked Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Most Saved Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Most Viewed All Categories (3rd LD) About 40,000 fans gather for BTS comeback concert in downtown Seoul (LEAD) S.
- Korea joins 7 countries in leaders' statement on Strait of Hormuz BTS to stage concert in Seoul's Gwanghwamun to mark long-awaited return (LEAD) Downtown Seoul braces for massive crowd at BTS comeback concert S.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers bts, seoul, album topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 768.