Seoul City To Turn Purple Next Month To Celebrate BTS 10th Anniversary

Hybe and the Seoul government are in talks to stage a series of joint activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of BTS.

New Delhi: To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of BTS, a famous K-pop boyband, the city of Seoul will light its most recognisable sites in various shades of purple next month. On Thursday last week, sources disclosed that the group's agency, Hybe, and the Seoul government are in talks to stage a series of joint activities to celebrate the group's tenth anniversary. One of the ideas being considered, according to the sources, is to create a one-of-a-kind event area called "ARMY Road" to celebrate the band's global fanbase. 

Seoul's tourist business has been hit hard by the recent COVID-19 outbreak, so city authorities are hoping these activities would help revive it.

Even though several members must be on military service this year, similar celebrations are scheduled to be organised in honour of the group's 10th anniversary. Under the condition of anonymity, a Hybe official said, "We're going to announce when our plans for the events are decided.”

Each year on June 13, to coincide with their debut anniversary, BTS has held its own festival week and other celebration activities. Due of the pandemic, in-person activities were not feasible, but the band nevertheless managed to arrange massive online meet-and-greets where fans from all over the world could interact and build relationships with one another.

To celebrate its ten-year anniversary, the seven-member K-pop group BTS will issue a commemorative stamp in South Korea and a book titled ‘Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS’ in the United States.

BTS declared in June of last year that they were taking a break due to pressure and the need to zero in on their individual artistic endeavours. Jin, the band's oldest member, enlisted in the military in December; J-Hope did likewise in April. To maintain the nation's capacity to repel a potential attack by North Korea, with which it is still technically at war, all able-bodied men in South Korea under the age of 30 are required to serve for a period of between 18 and 21 months.

BTS has contributed to K-pop's rise to fame as a major global force by releasing nine albums and six EPs since 2013. The group originally debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in 2018 with 'Love Yourself: Tear', a feat it replicated again in 2019 with 'Love Yourself: Answer' and 'Map of the Soul: Persona', tying a record set by the Beatles.