BTS is set to release their fifth full-length studio album, “ARIRANG,” on March 20. The album has been globally anticipated ever since the group completed their full military discharge in June of last year. As usual, BigHit Music officially opened pre-orders for “ARIRANG” at 11:00 a.m. (KST) on January 16. Through Weverse Shop as well as various online and offline retailers in South кσяєα and internationally—such as SOUNDWAVE, YG PLUS, Aladin, Ktown4u, Universal Music Store, among others—fans were able to place advance orders for the album.
Immediately after pre-orders began, reports emerged that all vinyl versions of BTS’s album sold out within approximately 20 minutes on Weverse Shop, highlighting the album’s astonishing sales speed. On other official distribution platforms, traffic and consumer interest also surged sharply.
Notably, as of January 22, according to album distributor YG PLUS, BTS’s fifth studio album “ARIRANG” recorded 4.06 million pre-orders just one week after pre-orders opened. This figure surpαѕѕed the group’s previous record held by their fourth studio album, “MAP OF THE SOUL : 7.” At the time of its pre-order launch in 2020, that album reached 3.42 million pre-orders within one week and later exceeded 5 million cumulative sales, according to Circle Chart.
BigHit Music also confirmed the milestone on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, celebrating the achievement by quoting a Naver article with the headline: "BTS's 5th Studio Album 'ARIRANG' Surpαѕѕes 4 Million Pre-orders in Just One Week”. Meanwhile, fans flooded the replies with enthusiastic messages, expressing their excitement and pride: "That 7 million looks soooo close", "4million reserved‼︎‼︎ isn't it going to make an incredible record?", "OMG LET'S GO", "Ohhh yeah!!! Congratulations ", "AS EXPECTED BTS", "Keep it goin. 7 million goal soon",...
The new album is currently accelerating at an even faster pace than BTS’s previous record-breaking releases, with momentum expected to continue building until the official release date. Importantly, no K-pop album has surpαѕѕed 4 million pre-orders since 2023. In recent years, industry observers have repeatedly raised concerns about declining K-pop album sales over the past three years—a period that coincidentally overlapped with BTS’s absence due to military service. The record set by “ARIRANG” once again underscores the unrivaled dominance of BTS, widely hailed as the “21st-century pop icons.”
Interest in BTS’s comeback is also evident across multiple other indicators. On global music streaming platform Spotify, the album surpαѕѕed 1 million pre-saves within just two days, reaching 2 million pre-saves by the fourth day. Public attention is now focused on whether “ARIRANG” can surpαѕѕ the all-time pre-save record of approximately 6 million, previously set by Taylor Swift with her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
In addition, after announcements regarding the new album and the upcoming world tour were posted on the global superfan platform Weverse, membership registrations surged by approximately threefold. On January 22, when BigHit Music and Nol Ticket—the official ticket distributor for BTS concerts in South кσяєα—held a Weverse members-only pre-sale, the number of people waiting in the ticket queue exceeded 100,000 within moments. Shortly thereafter, all tickets for the three April shows at Goyang Stadium sold out completely, achieving a record “sold-out” status.
One fan who plans to attend the Goyang concerts shared their excitement, saying, “I was determined to attend no matter what, so I was incredibly happy when I managed to secure a ticket. I can’t wait for spring to come so I can finally see all the members together on stage.”
BTS’s return as a complete group, along with the announcement of their global tour, has also triggered immediate ripple effects across the retail and tourism industries, giving rise to what has been described as "BTS Special Demand". According to sources in the retail sector on January 16, most hotels and accommodations near Goyang Stadium were fully booked for the period from April 9 to April 12. An official from SonoCalm Goyang stated, "Room reservations from April 9th to 12th are already completely full. We understand that neighboring accommodations are in the same situation."
More than just a musical return, BTS’s reunion as a full group has become a global cultural moment—one that is drawing the eyes of fans, industry insiders, and the world at large toward Seoul once again. From record-shattering album pre-orders and streaming metrics to sold-out concerts and surging tourism demand, every indicator points to a historic comeback!
