BTS The Comeback Live Arirang: How The K-Pop Band Bridged Korean Culture And Sports

BTS The Comeback Live Arirang: BTS is officially back, with the South Korean boy band making their return with the to the global stage after a nearly four-year hiatus. After completing their mandatory military service, the seven-member supergroup – consisting of RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook – reunited in 2026 with their new comeback album “ARIRANG”.

The group took a break after enlisting in South Korea’s military – compulsory for all men over the age of 21 – in 2022. SUGA was the last to complete his military duty in June 2025. During this period, the other band members focused on solo projects.

Already an unparalleled cultural phenomenon, BTS has popularised K-pop – the South Korean pop music – making it a household term. Using their platform as ambassadors for their culture, BTS have named their comeback album and the accompanying tour ‘Arirang’. The 14-track album contains the lead single ‘Swim’.

What is Arirang?

The song ‘Arirang’, which is at least 260 years old, is a traditional Korean song that is considered to be the unofficial anthem of the unified Korean peninsula. It is one of the few remaining shared cultural heritage between North and South Korea, having survived years of aggression and hostility between the two neighbours.

UNESCO recognised it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, as it signifies the collective longing, desperation, and resilience of the Korean people, who have been divided by a contested border drawn after the Second World War.

While there are thousands of variations of Arirang, the most well-known version tells the story of travellers crossing a mountain pass. This imagery shows the metaphorical journey from hardship to hope, and was initially popularised as a resistance theme against colonial rule by Japan in the early 20th century.

Arirang on Olympic Stage

The unifying power of Arirang has been most visibly felt on the Olympic stage, where it has been used when athletes from North and South Korea marched together under a unified peninsula flag – notably at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The melody of Arirang, not their respective national anthems, echoed in the stands when the Korean athletes – not divided by borders – competed on the international stage.

Other than this, the song has been used, often by South Korean ice dancers, in their routines on the Olympic stage.

BTS and Sports

While known for their singing and dancing skills, the seven members of BTS are also sports enthusiasts. Their performance routines – requiring synchronised, high-octane choreography – are evidently helped by their athletic lifestyle.

Three BTS members – Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook – are trained in martial arts, each holding a black belt in taekwondo. Jimin, one of the most athletic singers in South Korea, is also trained in Kendo, a form of Japanese swordsmanship.

Jin, meanwhile, is known to take part in a variety of sports, including snowboarding, tennis, and golf. He is also a wrestling enthusiast, particularly in arm wrestling and other physical games, which has been shown in Run BTS! and Run Jin shows.

J-Hope also plays tennis and badminton as part of his fitness regimen, while RM is a cycling and swimming enthusiast. SUGA enjoys himself on the basketball court and has been an official ambassador for the NBA.

V, meanwhile, is a huge football fan and was pictured watching a K League 2024 match wearing his army uniform.

In fact, the group has been directly involved in football as well. They were behind the official anthem of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The song – titled “Dreamers” – was part of the tournament’s official soundtrack, and was performed by Jungkook at the opening ceremony in Qatar alongside Fahad Al-Kubaisi. It was a historic occasion, marking the first time an Asian artist performed the official soundtrack at a FIFA World Cup opening ceremony.

BTS have been one of the powerhouses behind the global phenomenon that is K-Pop, and sports are a big part of it. Beyond their target audience of teenagers, the group has also reached an even bigger audience through their World Cup performance and has been important in positioning South Korea as a major sporting force.

South Korea, which, among other things, co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup, will be hosting a number of big sporting events – including the World Baseball Classic pool in March and the 20th Asian Games from September to October.

Heung-min Son, the former Tottenham Hotspur player, is possibly the most famous footballer to come out of Asia in recent memory. The winger, who now plays for Los Angeles FC in the Major League Soccer (MLS), is a global footballing icon due to his exploits in the Bundesliga and English Premier League.

The South Korean women’s football team also booked their place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil, having reached the semi-finals in the recently concluded AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026.

The ARIRANG World Tour Schedule

Following their comeback concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, BTS will embark on the massive ARIRANG World Tour (check out the tickets here), spanning 34 cities and 82 shows.

• Spring 2026 (Asia): The tour kicks off in Goyang, South Korea, on April 9, before heading to sold-out stadiums in Tokyo, Japan.

• Spring/Summer 2026 (North America): Stadium runs in Tampa, Mexico City, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

• Summer 2026 (Europe): Shows in Madrid, London, Munich, Paris, and Brussels.

• Fall 2026 (Latin America): Sold-out stops in Bogota, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo.

• Winter 2026-Spring 2027 (Asia-Pacific): Closing out with a run through Kaohsiung, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Manila, wrapping up on March 14, 2027.

The opening of their comeback tour, titled “BTS The Comeback Live Arirang”, was live-streamed on Netflix on March 19 from 4:30 PM IST.