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Global fans flock to Seoul to commemorate BTS’ 10th anniversary

June 12, 2023

Throngs of dedicated fans of K-pop giant BTS were busy taking pictures in front of the Hybe building, the entertainment company behind the band, in Seoul, on Monday morning.

Many of them were members of ARMY, the band’s passionate fandom, who arrived from all corners of the world to participate in BTS’ 10th Anniversary Festa, a two-week-long festival to commemorate the band’s 10th anniversary.

The location in Seoul’s central ward of Yongsan has recently become a pilgrimage site for BTS enthusiasts, drawing fans from far and wide.

A fan takes a picture of a graffiti drawing of BTS members on the outer wall of K-pop powerhouse Hybe's office building in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
A fan takes a picture of a graffiti drawing of BTS members on the outer wall of K-pop powerhouse Hybe’s office building in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

Siena Yates, a 33-year-old journalist from New Zealand, was one of them.

“It was a bit of a dark time in my life. And then I just had a lot of time to sit and watch them really, and I started watching the content ‘In the Soop’ and ‘Bon Voyage,’ and especially the ‘Bon Voyage’ episode when they came to New Zealand. After that, just sort of down the rabbit hole, and now mildly obsessed,” she said when asked how she became a fan.

She said everything she has listened to was BTS the last two years straight and she started watching a lot of K-dramas because of them as well.

“My whole life has sort of become weirdly about Korea. It’s wild that I’m here now,” she said of how the band has changed her life.

A slogan celebrating the 10th anniversary of K-pop boy group BTS is seen on the exterior of the Hybe building in central Seoul on June 12, 2023. (Yonhap)
A slogan celebrating the 10th anniversary of K-pop boy group BTS is seen on the exterior of the Hybe building in central Seoul on June 12, 2023. (Yonhap)

There was also a graffiti drawing featuring the seven members and a slogan written in huge white letters, “BTS presents everywhere,” on the building’s outer wall.

The slogan is that of the BTS Festa the band’s agency, BigHit Music, and the Seoul metropolitan government will run until June 25.

The city’s major landmarks, such as the Sevit floating island on the Han River, the N Seoul Tower in Mount Nam Park, Seoul City Hall, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and the World Cup Bridge, will be illuminated in purple, the color symbolizing the group, or playing media facade shows at night during the period.

Other fans visiting the Hybe building also enthusiastically shared their thoughts about the influence the group has had on their lives.

“I had a hard time in 2018 after being rejected from 15 universities,” said Claudia Agustin, a 23-year-old Indonesian fan who visited with her tour guide. “And then they launched the ‘Love Yourself’ album series with lyrics saying ‘it’s okay to fail, it’s okay to be sad, and you just can try it again.’ They saved my life through this message.”

She said she now works as an accountant after college graduation.

A tourist views an image of K-pop juggernaut BTS on a billboard in Seoul on June 12, 2023, as a two-week-long festival kicked off to celebrate its 10th debut anniversary. (Yonhap)
A tourist views an image of K-pop juggernaut BTS on a billboard in Seoul on June 12, 2023, as a two-week-long festival kicked off to celebrate its 10th debut anniversary. (Yonhap)

Ariel Epperson, a 22-year-old American college student who is now learning the Korean language in Seoul, said: “They’ve made me think about loving myself more than I have ever before. As a person, I don’t know if I would be where I am today without them. They helped me with such a hard time and made me feel less alone.”

She said she likes everything about the group.

“They’re very loving and caring about their fans. Their personalities just seem honest. Their music is also really good. Of course, I love them for music, and their lyrics are amazing. They have wonderful choreography.”

An image of K-pop juggernaut BTS is carried on a billboard in Seoul on June 12, 2023, as a two-week-long festival kicked off to celebrate its 10th debut anniversary. (Yonhap)
An image of K-pop juggernaut BTS is carried on a billboard in Seoul on June 12, 2023, as a two-week-long festival kicked off to celebrate its 10th debut anniversary. (Yonhap)

Anne Micic, 54, came to South Korea a week ago as part of a three-week-long group tour with 27 other Australian members of ARMY.

“We went to Busan, and we’ve been going to places that BTS have done music videos, and have been to restaurants, and yet we’ve been traveling to see a lot of BTS.”

Asked why she loves the band, she singled out the message it has in its music and the friendship between the members.

“They talk about things that I think that other musicians don’t really talk about, you know, about loving yourself and about being true to yourself. They have a friendship that anybody would want to have. The seven young men who have grown up together and they value each other and other people, and that’s really important,” she said, smiling.