April 23, 2026
SEOUL – Like many BTS Army, I traveled from abroad to Korea to attend one of BTS’s concerts in Goyang earlier this month.
Not so long ago, like many, I was bewildered by stories of BTS fans flying to different countries to see them in concert. Now, I’ve become one of these fans, and I understand why people do it. Community-building is an essential part of the K-pop fan experience, and entertainment companies would be smart to support it.
This past trip was for the sole purpose of attending one concert. After a very brief discussion, a friend of mine offered to enter the ticket-buying process. She secured a “Play&Stay” package, which included 2 tickets to a BTS show in Goyang and two nights in a shared hotel room in Seoul. Keep in mind that these tickets went on sale before any tickets for the US shows, so we thought that we should try to get them.
I arrived in Seoul two days before the concert. In the immigration line at Incheon Airport, I saw at least 15 BTS Army — most of them with subtle indications including BT21 Friends knick-knacks on their bags, the same shirt Jimin wore in his music video “Like Crazy,” or other BTS shirts and adornments. I spoke to a few of them, and we were all excited about seeing them in concert.
Most of the people I chatted with were from other Asian countries like the Philippines or Singapore, and every interaction was warm. If this were my first time alone in a foreign country, I would have immediately felt a sense of belonging.
When I arrived at the hotel offered by the package, I was immediately greeted by Army. I first chatted with a mother/daughter pair from the US. They had seen BTS many times, and the mother proudly shared that not only was she attending two of the Goyang shows, but that she was attending another 13 (!) concerts, including one in Paris. We shared other concert stories and photos.
During the morning of the concert, my friend and I traveled to the BTS merchandise area. This was an expansive enterprise, and I have to admit that Hybe did a great job. Not everything was in stock, but there were enough items left for people to shop. What was impressive was that, like my friend, many had already visited the merchandise area the day before to buy items. By that afternoon, it seemed as if every concert attendee was wearing an official T-shirt, jersey, and/or hoodie. Certainly, everyone had a lightstick (the BTS ones are known as Army Bombs).
On the day of the concert, we met even more travelers. It turned out that many of the people in our section purchased the same kind of tickets we did. Two women behind us were close friends who traveled from Australia to see BTS. Next to us were two sisters from Canada who had traveled just for the show. They also shared that they were planning to see them at all four of their Las Vegas shows. Another older American mother and daughter pair sat nearby.
There were Japanese and Chinese fans everywhere. There was also a Korean BTS fan. When I returned to my hotel, I saw two Japanese women in their 50s. They smiled at me and spoke to each other. They were probably a foot shorter than me, and when I had my back towards them, I suddenly felt a tug on my hoodie — they were looking to see which member’s name I had on my jersey. They both giggled after their discovery that it was J-Hope.
Over the weekend, we not only exchanged pleasantries, but also little gifts, including homemade keychains, stickers, bookmarks, snacks and candies. The gift-giving part of the BTS concert experience is one of my favorite elements. There is no substitute for it when watching K-pop concert footage online. I’ve attended many non-K-pop music concerts in my lifetime, and while there are often small exchanges of pleasantries, nowhere have I received gifts nor met so many fellow travelers.
Attending a BTS concert in Korea was special because I could fully experience K-pop fan culture that not only includes gift-giving, but also synchronized fanchants, and nearly-universal lightstick participation.
There were stories in the Korean press about a crackdown on unofficial BTS merchandise. While I understand the need for companies to protect their intellectual property, I hope that the practice of gift-giving among fans will continue to flourish. Without it, K-pop concerts would be just a bit less special, with or without the artist. Fans do not attend concerts just to see their favorite artists, but they do so to share the experience with other fans. What we experience at a concert is an example of sociologist Emile Durkheim’s concept of “collective effervescence” — the intense energy and exuberance that might be felt in a group ritual or a protest event.
Even though I could not see the faces of the BTS members all that well, I could see the joy of my fellow fans next to me and the tens of thousands of lightsticks in the stadium that night.
Grace Kao
Grace Kao is an IBM professor of sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.