BTS Jung-kook Sings Traditional 'Arirang'.. Captivates European Fans

*This content was translated by AI.

BTS's Jung-kook captivated the hearts of European fans by passionately singing the traditional song "Arirang."

BTS concluded its "ARIRANG" European tour over two days at the Stade de France in Paris, France, which it visited for the first time in seven years, drawing a total of 180,000 attendees. Each concert drew 92,000 spectators, marking a record-breaking single-show attendance figure.

Throughout the performance period, the stadium was filled with fans singing along in Korean. Member Jung-kook, following his performance in Munich, Germany, presented the "Arirang~ crossing the pass~" section at the Paris venue with authentic Korean traditional music-style vocal inflections and techniques.

On a domestic online community, posts featuring Jung-kook's "Arirang" video received comments such as "He even sings folk songs so well," "It's so good it gives me goosebumps," "I want to hear the full version; he sings beautifully," "The vocal inflections are art," "The traditional music community welcomes him with open arms," "Jung-kook doesn't discriminate against genres; he sings so well," and "A moving, powerful 'Arirang' performance despite its short length."

As the closing remarks approached, Jung-kook shed tears while singing the final song of the concert. In his final thoughts, he said, "This is the last one. Honestly, just before I fell asleep yesterday, thinking about it being my last night in Paris made my heart ache. From the start of the European tour until Paris, I was so incredibly happy that I feel a strong reluctance to leave. I think I'll miss you all terribly. So, I will return as soon as possible." He then turned to local ARMY fans and shouted in French, "I love you! (Je vous aime!)"

For the first night's performance, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife attended, waving the official BTS lightstick, the "ARMY Bomb," while watching the show. Ma Keu-rong (President) later posted a video he personally filmed along with a congratulatory message on social media.

After concluding its European tour, BTS moved to the United States. Jung-kook, who stood alone on stage at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, joined his fellow members for the "Halftime Show" of the "2026 FIFA North American World Cup" final, which took place at 4 a.m. Korean time on the 20th.

With this performance, Jung-kook became the first K-pop idol to appear on the World Cup stage for a second time. BTS members shared the headlining slot with Justin Bieber, Madonna, and Shakira.

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*This content was translated by AI.