K-pop juggernaut BTS is considering a major performance in central Seoul ahead of its comeback in March, industry sources said on Monday.

HYBE, the group's agency, has applied to the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) for permission to use Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun Square, the Woldae area and Sungnyemun Gate for a performance by the septet in late March, the sources said.


The event, tentatively titled the “K-heritage and K-pop fusion concert,” aims to blend traditional Korean culture with contemporary pop music, according to reports. The KHS is expected to review the application on Tuesday. A HYBE representative told Yonhap News Agency that “discussions are underway,” adding that details regarding the venue and schedule will be announced once confirmed.

BTS is set to return with its fifth studio album, “Arirang,” on March 20, marking its first full-group comeback in nearly four years. The record is described as an expression of the group's Korean identity and reflects a deep sense of longing and affection for its heritage.

This would not be the first time the group has performed at the royal palace. In 2020, it filmed performances at the palace's main hall, Geunjeongjeon, and pavilion, Gyeonghoeru, for NBC's “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Following the album’s release, BTS will kick off a world tour at Goyang Sports Complex in Gyeonggi on April 9. A total of 79 concerts in 34 cities have been confirmed so far, making it the largest number of shows ever staged in a single tour by a K-pop artist. Additional dates in Japan and the Middle East are expected to be announced later.

The North American leg will begin in Tampa, Florida, on April 25 and include 28 performances across 12 cities. BTS will make history at venues such as the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, hosting the first and largest K-pop concerts to ever take place in those cities.

In June and July, BTS will move on to Europe. It will perform 10 shows in five cities, including London and Paris, and have its first-ever solo concerts in Madrid and Brussels. The tour will then continue to South America, with stops in five cities, including Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, before expanding into the Middle East.

BY YOON SO-YEON, YONHAP [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]