Why the world is talking about the BTS comeback album ARIRANG

After four years of hard anticipation, theories, countdowns and unwavering dedication, the moment thousands of fans around the world have been waiting for has finally arrived. The world’s biggest boy band, BTS, is set to release their long-awaited comeback album, "ARIRANG". It is their first release as a full group after completing South Korea’s mandatory military service and a successful solo career.

Many people know the name 'Arirang', but only a few know how deeply it is connected to Korean history.

Arirang is one of the most important cultural songs in Korean history, believed to be more than 600 years old.  It is often described as Korea’s unofficial national anthem, not because it was declared by the government but because it has been carried by the Korean people for centuries, which expresses feelings of longing, separation and resilience.

Back in 1896, seven young Korean men fled Korea during the reform movement and travelled to North America, intending to study abroad. A Korean diplomat, Suh Kwang Bum, helped arrange their enrolment at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and financially supported them.

They were among the first Koreans to study in America.

While studying at Howard University, the students became well-known for singing Korean folk songs at social gatherings on campus. The local newspaper of Washington named their music "unique", as Americans had never heard Korean music before.

In July 1896, American ethnologist Alice C. Fletcher invited the students to her home in Washington, D.C., and recorded them singing Arirang using a wax cylinder. As the American researcher did not know what Arirang meant, she labelled it “Love Song: Ar-ra-rang". It became the earliest known audio recording of "Arirang".

During the Japanese colonial rule, when the Korean language and identity were suppressed, this recording was a piece of Korean culture during a time of rapid political changes. Its cultural importance is so great that Arirang is recognised on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list of UNESCO. In 2015, South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration also designated it as an important intangible cultural asset.

BTS choosing “ARIRANG” as an album title shows how a centuries-old Korean folk song continues to inspire K-pop bands after so many years. The album is a cultural journey which focuses on BTS’s identity, their Korean roots and how they are introducing Korea to the global stage.