BTS fans scramble for tickets as K-pop stars launch first tour since military service

By Jungmin Ryu SEOUL, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Chart-topping K-pop boy band BTS is set to embark on a global concert tour in April, marking its first new album release in more than three years, and on Thursday fans rushed to secure tickets for the tour's opening shows. The band had been on hiatus since 2022 while each of its seven members undertook South Korea's mandatory military service. "I flew all the way to Korea just to get the tickets so it was all worth it," said 34-year-old Joanna Marie in an internet cafe in Seoul. "I've been waiting for them… a very long time, now that we're seeing them again, it's like a big dream." Earlier this month, BTS announced it will release a new album, "Arirang" in March, sparking intense anticipation among fans worldwide, known collectively as "Army". The accompanying world tour launches in Goyang, South Korea on April 9 and will span 79 shows across Asia, the U.S. and Europe through July, the group's agency has said. Fans vying for seats at the first three concerts in Goyang Stadium braced for ticket sales to go live at 8 p.m. Seoul time (1100 GMT). Some even flew into Seoul to take advantage of its high-speed internet connection for the ticketing war. "I think we all waited really long and now that it's happening, let's hope we all are satisfied," said 20-year-old Valentina Le Pera in the cafe. "They really are doing a lot of (tour) dates so I think they know what the fans are expecting." The band's most recent album, "Proof", released in 2022, debuted at number one in 18 countries and has amassed about 16.7 billion streams, according to industry data. (Reporting by Jungmin Ryu; Writing by Joyce Lee; Editing by Ros Russell)

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