BTS returns to Korean stage for 1st time since 2019

SEOUL — In the latest sign that life is going back to something that resembles the pre-pandemic past, BTS is returning to the stage in Seoul.

The K-pop band, which had performed in the US but not in its home country since 2019, is holding three in-person concerts in South Korea next month, the group’s management agency, HYBE Co., said on Wednesday.

BTS’s return to action comes despite South Korea’s largest Covid-19 outbreak of the pandemic, which prompted the US State Department this week to advise Americans not to travel to the East Asian country. The move also comes as a fifth BTS member, out of the group’s seven individuals, tested positive for Covid-19.

The BTS concerts show how some facets of pre-pandemic entertainment are set on returning even as the pandemic lingers. This week, U.S. music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach said they wouldn’t require vaccination, testing or masking for their respective events in April.

BTS performed on stage in front of fans in Los Angeles last fall — its first in-person performance since the pandemic began. The Los Angeles concerts sold 214,000 tickets and grossed $33.3 million, according to Billboard Boxscore, hitting the largest gross for a run of shows at a single venue since 2012.

But BTS hadn’t performed live in South Korea since October 2019. Following news of the concert plans, shares of its management agency HYBE rose 7.3% on Wednesday from the prior day’s closing price versus a 2% gain for South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index.

BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, or “Bulletproof Boy Scouts,” though the band goes by “Beyond the Scene” for English speakers. Boosted by tens of millions of fans worldwide, the band ranks among the music industry’s most-profitable artists. HYBE generates more than $200 million a year in merchandise and licensing sales, with BTS by far the biggest contributor.

The U.S. live-music business restarted last summer, though virus fears kept even many ticket-paying fans away. Other K-pop groups have also resumed global live concerts. The nine-member girl band, TWICE, is kicking off concerts in five U.S. cities this month.

South Korea has confronted a wave of Omicron cases much differently than it has previous surges of other Covid-19 variants. Daily cases hit a record of more than 90,000 on Wednesday, though local health officials have taken a laxer approach to snuffing out each outbreak, citing relatively low deaths and hospitalization rates.

Most facilities, such as bars and restaurants, remain open with a curfew of 9 p.m. Sports stadiums and concert halls have reopened with distanced seating arrangements.

The BTS shows will be held on March 10, 12 and 13. Thousands of spectators are expected to attend BTS’s Seoul concerts, though HYBE said the exact capacity has yet to be determined. Fans will still be required to wear face masks. They must be vaccinated or submit a negative PCR test, short for polymerase chain reaction.

Under South Korean restrictions, up to 4,000 people can attend a concert, but it must finish by 10 p.m. Eating—and even shouting and cheering—isn’t allowed.

Jang Ha-eun, a 24-year-old BTS fan in Seoul, is so enthusiastic to see the band perform live that she even contemplated going to Los Angeles last year. She said she will take her chances with the Covid risk if she can succeed at landing tickets when they become available.

“Vaccinated people will still be wearing masks, and we won’t be allowed to cheer,”  Jang said. “So, I hope it’s safe.”

For fans outside South Korea, two of the shows will be streamed live online. Tickets for the third concert will be sold at movie theaters worldwide, HYBE said.

“We would like to thank all ARMY for patiently waiting for an in-person concert to be held in Korea,” HYBE said on the online fan platform Weverse, referring to the band’s global fan base.

Three of BTS’s members were diagnosed with Covid after returning from their Los Angeles concerts late last year. A fourth tested positive last month, before HYBE said a fifth was self-isolating at home after becoming infected. The band’s members have gotten two doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Those who got Covid had mild symptoms, HYBE said.

Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com