BTS Marks 13th Debut Anniversary With Successful Busan Concert as RM Opens Up

BTS' 13th debut-anniversary concert in Busan drew an enthusiastic response, with leader RM opening up about his inner thoughts, according to Big Hit Music.

On the 13th, K-pop group BTS held its BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN concert at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Yeonje-gu, Busan.

During the concert, leader RM said he felt a rush of mixed emotions after a long time. He reflected on the 13 years that have passed since the group began, saying it felt as if the days of practicing BTS' debut song in a rehearsal room had happened only yesterday. He also noted how much the K-pop industry has grown, and said junior artists sometimes come to ask him how a team can stay together for so long. RM admitted that, both in the past and now, he honestly does not really know the answer.

RM continued by saying that through the other six members, and through the people who keep watching him, he continues to look back at himself. He said he feels he no longer reveals his inner feelings or speaks with complete sincerity as readily as he once did, but that he was sharing those words with fans again after a long time. While singing 'Magic Shop,' he said, the past 13 years seemed to pass before him. He promised that it is an honor to be able to be together, and that wherever he is and whatever form he takes, he will try to show himself as he is.

After the performance ended, RM also posted a lengthy letter on the fan community platform Weverse. He wrote that he was writing a letter after a long time, and said that because he sometimes hears the undeserved expression that someone saves someone else, he found himself wondering whether he too had been saved by the fans. RM said he is trying to live more simply, plainly, or boldly than before, and that he has fewer moments of falling into sentiment. Even so, he said the sadness of the world still seems unavoidable no matter how many joyful days there are, adding that perhaps it may actually be because he is so happy. In doing so, he expressed gratitude, saying the support of fans made the BTS of today possible.

Addressing fans directly, RM said he had offered many words and thrown out many sounds over the years. He said he does not know which melody or which stone may have reached the people present there, but that he feels he will continue to be someone who sends and throws things out in that way, just as he did 13 years ago and as he will in the future, if there are people willing to listen. He said he repeatedly sees himself through the fans, and wondered whether they do the same. Thanking them once again for being together on a precious anniversary, he called the day Saturday the 13th, a day that could not have been better. He said he wants to keep building memories and days of celebration known only to them, asked for their continued support, and said he loves them.

BTS will next go on a European tour. Beginning at the end of this month in Madrid, Spain, the group will continue a large-scale stadium tour in July with stops in Brussels, Belgium; London, United Kingdom; Munich, Germany; and Paris, France. On July 19, BTS will also appear as a co-headliner at the halftime show for the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, to be held at New York New Jersey Stadium in the United States.