"BTS is the light that made the pandemic bear"...the side of the Han River filled with purple

"BTS is the light that made the pandemic bear"...the side of the Han River filled with purple

While walking about 1km from Saetgang Station on Seoul Subway Line 9 to Wonhyo Bridge at around 1:30 p.m. on the 17th, when midday temperatures soared to around 30 degrees Celsius, the streets were crowded with women wearing purple tops and bottoms. They were fans heading to Yeouido Hangang Park, where the FESTA, the 10th anniversary of the debut of the global group BTS, will be held. Purple is the color that represents BTS.

BTS, which debuted on June 13, 2013, has been holding Festa, a festival that celebrates the day with fans every year. This year's event was held on a grand scale in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government under the slogan "BTS Presents Everywhere" to mark the 10th anniversary of its debut. Fans equipped with individual items such as bags, masks, shoes, socks, sunglasses, and sticker tattoos, as well as T-shirts and pants, colored the riverside purple.

The "BTS Live Screen," classified as a "safety management zone" due to the high risk of crowds, was almost like a concert hall where the members actually appeared. On the large screen decorated on the lawn of the Han River Park, live videos, music videos, and past festa contents of BTS singing hit songs continued to be shown from noon on the same day.

"For you, I could pretend to be happy even if I was sad. For you, I could pretend to be strong even if I was sick." When the introduction of "FAKE LOVE" came out, fans shook their arms from side to side and got into the rhythm.

Fans, who opened the mat and settled down early, sat together in twos and threes to "sing along" BTS songs, and shouted "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. From Asia such as Japan and India to Anglo-American countries such as the United States and Canada, and Africa such as Europe and Kenya, it seemed difficult to distinguish whether this place was Korea.

An overseas female fan wore a banner with Jungkook's picture behind her shoulders like a cape, and continued to sing along with her friends and BTS' hit songs. In a purple sleeveless dress, a dark purple ribbon was attached like a beeper on both sides of the head.

Shin (53), who became an ARMY (BTS' official fan club) because of his nephew who only talks about BTS every day, smiled brightly, saying, "I waited for today to come," adding, "Even if it was a weekday, I would have used my annual leave."

Shin, who came from Nowon-gu, Seoul, said, "There were many moments when I felt depressed due to the prolonged COVID-19, but I was able to endure it because of BTS," adding, "I think I especially listened to 'Boy With Luv.'" "Like the lyrics of the song, it really became 'BTS'."

A foreign woman in her 20s wearing a purple chiffon dress introduced herself as "Anya" from India. Anya said she waited 50 minutes to take photos at the "BTS Family Photo Exhibition," a photo zone designed to take polaroid photos with BTS photos in the background. Anya, who said she likes "Blood Sweat Tears" and "IDOL" the most among BTS songs, said about the meaning of BTS, "It's a light up my life."

"Three, two, one, cheese!"

The bulletproof family photo exhibition was lined up even though the organizers displayed photos of the members back and forth so that they could take pictures of two people at a time. Fans wearing hats and parasols wiped off their sweat, but no one frowned. Fans who took pictures from the shade were upset that "it's against the light, so it doesn't come out well," but were eager to leave memories to the staff, asking them to "take it with my smartphone."

"BTS Family Portrait," which collects and displays group photos taken by BTS at every festival, was also popular. Ricoh, in his 40s from Japan, said in Korean, "I already have all the pictures at home, but I still take them," adding, "It's the same even after 10 years." "BTS seems to be really 'young'," he said.

"Bring The Song: My Own BTS Playlist," where fans receive songs recommended by all BTS members, and "BTS History Wall," which contains 10 years of BTS activities, also drew attention.

The highlights of the event are "5 p.m., I'm Kim Nam-joon," hosted by BTS' leader RM at 5 p.m., and fireworks with BTS hits and Jungkook's narration at 8:30 p.m. RM will meet his fans and tell them his thoughts on the 10th anniversary of his debut.

With about 300,000 people expected to flock to the fireworks, "personnel safety management" is on alert.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government operates a joint situation room with the event organizers, Yeongdeungpo Police Station, and Fire Station to prepare for emergencies. The police deployed more than 2,000 safety personnel. Ambulance routes have been secured around the venue in case of emergency patients.

From 2 p.m. on the same day, the police have been completely controlling the southern end of Mapo Bridge to 63 Building in Yeouido-dong. In addition, illegal parking and stopping vehicles will be cracked down on bridges from Yanghwa Bridge to Hangang Bridge and arterial roads such as Olympic-daero, Nodeul-ro, and Gangbyeonbuk-ro through traffic patrol motorcycles.

Cloud crowds are also expected to gather in Jamsil, where pop star Bruno Mars' concerts will be held for two consecutive days. The concerts of girl groups "(G)I-DLE" and "MAMAMOO" will also be held on the same day, attracting more than 140,000 people.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government urged people to use public transportation as much as possible near the venue during the weekend.

https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/5961261

"BTS는 팬데믹 견디게 한 빛"…보랏빛으로 가득 찬 한강변