BTS Kicks Off Second North American Tour, Fans Support 'Grammy Boycott'

[Anchor]

BTS has held a concert in New Jersey, USA. It comes after their boycott of the U.S. Grammy Awards, which have been criticized as being white-centric, and fans showed their support louder than ever.

Correspondent Kim Hyunwoo reports from New York.

[Reporter]

The area in front of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA—where the World Cup final was held not long ago—is once again bustling with crowds.

Fans from all over the world gathered in New Jersey to watch the first day of the North American tour by the group BTS.

There are still about four hours left until the concert begins.

Yet, long lines of fans have already formed outside the stadium.

ARMYs wearing traditional hanbok or clothing featuring Hangeul were easily spotted.

[Angie / Dominican Republic: BTS means the world to me. Through BTS, I've met so many wonderful people, and Korean culture itself is truly fascinating. I'm so glad I got to know BTS, and everything makes me happy.]

The concert began with an explanation of this tour's title, Arirang.

BTS performed tracks from their full-length album Arirang as well as their previous hit songs for over two hours.

The members roamed around the stage, which was designed with the Taegeukgi motif in mind, breathing together with the fans.

The atmosphere of the venue changed constantly depending on the colors of the lightsticks waved by 78,000 people.

[Jimin / BTS Member: You sang so prettily and danced so coolly today as well, making it such an enjoyable day.]

Recently, BTS declared they will not submit their music to next year's Grammy Awards—which recently established an Asian music category—stating that music should not be divided by region and language. This has led to growing criticism of the Grammys and ongoing fallout.

[Eva / New York, USA: Honestly, I was annoyed. I think BTS hasn't received fair opportunities. I respect their decision not to be part of the Grammys.]

Having started their second North American tour in New Jersey, BTS plans to continue their performances by touring massive stadiums across the United States.

(Video footage taken by Lee Hee-hoon | Video edited by Shin Se-eun | Video courtesy of Big Hit Music)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.