Shaheer Ahmed
Fans from all over the world met in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, on Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the K-Pop boy band BTS.
Two of the band’s seven members are currently serving in the military, so the band is on a brief break. However, that didn’t stop a lot of celebrations this week for the band’s fans, who call themselves “ARMY.”
On Saturday, tens of thousands of fans went to Han River Park in Seoul for the BTS 10th Anniversary FESTA. There, they looked at a history wall, stage outfits, and sculptures, many of which were purple, the band’s signature color. Fans danced under shady trees while hit songs played in the background or talked about their favorite band members.
“I think we can learn how to connect with BTS and ARMY through this event,” said Audrey Lintner, a master’s degree student from Sri Lanka who was there. She is 28 years old.
Read More: BTS Marks 10 Years of Musical Brilliance
Later, at the party, BTS’s leader RM read fan texts, performed, and talked to Jungkook and V on the phone. “Time moves so quickly. Everything has changed, and so have I in a lot of ways. RM told fans, “I don’t know what I’ll do with my feelings on the 15th and 20th anniversaries, but my love for you won’t change.”
The celebrations came to a close with a fireworks show on the Han River. According to the Yonhap news agency, planners, local police, and fire officials estimated that about 400,000 people were there by 9 p.m. (1200 GMT).
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“Thank you so much for giving us great music and performances for the past 10 years,” said Kim Hye-won, 30, who has been a fan since 2018. “I’ll still be an ARMY fan in 10, 20, or 30 years, so I hope you artists and singers have a lot of good influence for a very, very long time.”
