Kim Woo-young's Gwanghyo Column I Became an ARMY of BTS at Gwanghwamun Plaza That Day

I wrote a column in this section on January 27th titled 'I also want to feel that BTS energy at Gwanghwamun Plaza in March.'

And on the 21st, after finishing lunch with my family—my wife, daughter, son-in-law, and grandson—which had become a weekly ritual, I hurried to Seoul.

It was because BTS's comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Plaza was being held that day. It was 'BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG.'

I hadn't felt this excited in a long time since getting older.

These days, even when traveling abroad, my heart doesn't race the way it used to. In the past, I was told I had keen sensibility. My heart would race at the sight of a full moon and the morning star, and I couldn't tear myself away from sweeping landscapes. I used to count the days until I could visit cultural heritage sites.

Now I've become dull. To be honest, despite being called a poet, even writing poetry feels tedious. I suppose I should add the character '前' (former) before 'poet.'

Yet my heart was thrilled waiting for the BTS concert... even though I'm not an ARMY, the fandom of BTS...

And now I'm already in my seventies.

I took the Line 1 subway with poet Lee Jong-gu, who shares the same building with me, and got off at Jongno. To get to Gwanghwamun Plaza, I needed to use City Hall Station, since subways don't stop at nearby stations. When I came above ground, there were already many people crowding the sidewalk. Their faces were full of anticipation. Everyone was smiling.

I went into an alley in Mugyo-dong, had dinner with chicken soup, and after wandering around looking for an entrance, I finally managed to enter through the Seoul Plaza side.

The entry process itself wasn't easy. Police had blocked all entrances to the plaza and were conducting thorough security checks. Along with body searches, they checked each item in our bags one by one.

Having failed to get advance tickets, I couldn't even approach the main section and was swept along by the crowd until I finally found a spot in an alley where I sat down to wait for the performance, which was about two hours away.

Some young people from Uzbekistan were cold, so I gave them the hand warmers I had brought along, and we chatted.

When I asked why they came here, they said, "We just wanted to be in this space together with BTS." What more needs to be said? Probably all ARMY fans from around the world feel the same way.

Just then, a young couple was staring at a drain with a troubled expression.

A wedding ring had fallen into the drain. In an instant, people around gathered and rushed to help. Someone turned on their phone light to shine into the drain, another handed over their phone's recording equipment. Eventually, a nearby restaurant owner brought tweezers for organizing shoes and retrieved the ring, and applause broke out from the crowd. The couple bowed deeply several times to thank the people around them.

As performance time approached, even more people packed in. According to the organizers' announcement later, there were over 100,000 people. If not for the police's strict entrance control due to safety concerns, even more crowds would have gathered. In fact, when I left a bit early due to concerns about congestion on the way home, I could see police blocking entry, and foreigners who couldn't get in were sitting in nearby areas like Sogang-dong or Cheonggyecheon, watching the live broadcast on Netflix.

BTS started the performance that day with 'Body to Body' from their newly released album. It was a song that quoted the melody of the folk song 'Arirang,' and even hearing it for the first time, it stuck in my ear. The stage shone even brighter with performances from National Gugak Center musicians and singers.

Then 'Butter,' 'MIC Drop,' and 'Dynamite' resonated through the air, and the chorus of ARMY fans holding their light sticks 'ARMY Bomb' dominated Gwanghwamun Plaza. The new album's title track 'SWIM' was also impressive.

This was my first time seeing a BTS performance in person. It might also be the last. Without swift fingers, I'm sure to lose in what is literally an instant ticket-purchase battle.

Poet Lee Jong-gu said to me:

"Brother, it's amazing to see people of different races from all five continents and six continents in one place like this."

Indeed, many foreigners had gathered. I could truly understand the struggles of airport immigration officials.

From what I could see, more than half the audience seemed to be foreigners.

In today's terms, this is what they call 'gukbpong' (national pride). Why was I so proud standing there that day?

That day, I became an ARMY again for the first time in 46 years since I was discharged from the military.

Chairman of HYBE, BTS's agency! How about holding a BTS concert in Suwon as well? This year and next year are designated as years of visiting Suwon, and we have plenty of venues to perform, such as Yeonmu-dae (Dong Jangdae) Plaza and Suwon World Cup Stadium. Moreover, we have all the elements that would captivate foreigners: Hwaseong and Hwaseong Haenggung, UNESCO World Heritage sites imbued with King Jeongjo's filial piety and spirit of reform, as well as Suwon Galbi and Korean fried chicken streets. The accessibility from Seoul is also excellent.

When I heard the words "We will soon give shape to measures for the preservation and promotion of national heritage and cultural properties and implement a long-term support system," this thought suddenly occurred to me. After all, BTS could be the finest ambassadors for promotion.

If the performance schedule is full, even using Hwaseong or Hwaseong Haenggung as the background for music videos would be fitting.