BTS's "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG SEOUL" (hereinafter "The City Seoul") has successfully concluded its roughly month-long journey.
"The City Seoul" was designed to commemorate the release of BTS's fifth full-length album "ARIRANG" and the launch of the "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG.'" The project projected messages from the new album onto Seoul's major landmarks, transforming the entire city center into a massive festival venue.
Particularly notable was the overwhelming proportion of foreign tourists visiting key Seoul destinations. For about a month, various parts of Seoul were packed with overseas visitors who came to experience "The City Seoul." At the media facade event held at Sungnyemun Gate, approximately 73% of all visitors were foreigners. The "ARMY MADANG" set up at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) also drew a foreign visitor share of more than 86%. "ARMY MADANG" is a participatory experience space that modernizes the sentiment of "madang," a traditional Korean communal gathering area, allowing visitors to mingle and enjoy activities together. Diverse programs — including designing cheering tools and collecting balls with handwritten lyrics to complete a large logo display — drew enthusiastic responses from fans.
This enthusiasm translated into tangible tourism gains. During the project period, the "Seoul City Tour Bus with BTS THE CITY," wrapped in the new album's colors and "ARIRANG" logo, traveled throughout the city. The buses ran on customized routes circulating between landmarks tied to BTS's footsteps — including Gwanghwamun, Namdaemun Market, the HYBE headquarters in Yongsan, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), and Gyeongbokgung Palace — and Seoul's signature attractions.
According to Seoul City Tour Tigerbus, tour bus ridership rose approximately 20% compared with normal levels. Tigerbus said, "BTS's global influence and the power of their musical content blended with Seoul tourism, creating a differentiated customer experience." It added, "This is evaluated as generating positive synergy with the Seoul Metropolitan Government's tourism promotion policies. Tourists took commemorative photos in front of vehicles featuring the new album logo, kept specially designed tickets as souvenirs, and expressed great satisfaction with the experience of exploring Seoul while listening to the group's signature songs on the bus."
"The City Seoul" opened on Oct. 20 with large outdoor digital displays and a drone light show. Media facades unfolded at Sungnyemun Gate and N Seoul Tower, adding vibrant colors to Seoul's night skyline. On the same day, thousands of drones performed a light show at Ttukseom Hangang Park, while music light shows reflecting the mood of the new album were held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and the Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain.
Experiential content that citizens could directly see and feel also proved popular. At the "Love Song Lounge" set up in the event plaza of Yeouido Hangang Park, busking performances and photo zones themed around the new album's campaign slogan "WHAT IS YOUR LOVE SONG" provided a place for visitors to relax. The "Love Quarter" installed in the courtyard of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art used tessellations displaying the lyrics of the title track "SWIM" to recreate a rippling sea, giving visitors the unique experience of feeling as though they were swimming within the space. At Yongsan Station, the entire staircase was transformed into a blue swimming pool, while the song's core message "KEEP SWIMMING" was displayed in typography along the Cheonggyecheon Stream area, completing a fantastical waterfront scene. In addition, broad partnerships spanning after-parties, mobility, lodging and food and beverages allowed visitors to feel BTS's new album anywhere in Seoul.
Meanwhile, "The City Seoul," through which people from around the world enjoyed Seoul's cultural assets, is now embarking on full-scale global expansion. The project will move to Las Vegas in the United States in May and then to Busan in June. It plans to offer an even broader experience to domestic and international music fans awaiting BTS.
