Concert was viewed across 229 countries/regions

The free BTS Yet to Come in Busan concert on Saturday (Oct 15th) was seen by 50 million people globally. As ambassadors for World Expo 2030 Busan, Korea, the K-pop superstars hosted the concert to introduce the city and the world to Korean culture in an effort to boost interest in Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

Approximately 50,000 showed up at Busan’s Asiad Main Stadium to see the concert in person with 10,000 viewing the Live Play in the city and another 2,000 viewing the Live Play in the tourist city of Haeundae. The broadcast was streamed to 49 million people around the globe on the Weverse platform. It was also broadcast on Korea’s JTBC TV, receiving a rating of 3.3%.

The group opened the show with “Mic Drop” and performed “BTS Run” for the first time. BTS played 19 songs in total, all arranged for a live band, including “Dynamite,” “Butter,” “00:00 (Zero O’Clock),” “Butterfly” and others.  The setlist comprised songs that best represent the band and anyone — beyond ARMY — can easily sing along.

The concert was filled with symbolic elements that represent Busan and Korean culture. BTS performed “Ma City” which showcased graphic images of Busan’s landmarks and scenery. The “Idol” staging caught the eyes of the global audience with Korean traditional visuals and performances such as Bukcheong saja noreum, a Korean traditional game that involves dancing with lion masks.

“We hope our concert tonight will help promote Busan and support the city’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan,” the band shared. “As the title BTS in Busan suggests, we have no doubt that tonight was the best moment for everyone here and the seven of us. With our hopes to spend another brightest moment together again, we present to you our last song of the night.”

BTS closed the show with “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment),” suggesting a brighter future for all.

The group’s label, Hybe, turned Busan into BTS City, which saw the entire overtaken with various entertainment activations and events that provided an expansive and immersive experience for fans beyond the concert. A BTS pop up store attracted more than 16,000 visitors with an undisclosed number visiting afar with a themed package. A pre-gathering event was packed with hundreds of people celebrating the excitement before the concert, and the BTS The City in Busan After Party sold out nearly all 4,000 tickets.