[Anchor]

BTS, currently on a world tour titled "Arirang," has taken the stage in New Jersey, US. Despite the ongoing fallout and rising criticism surrounding their boycott of the US Grammy Awards—which has been criticized for its white-centric focus—fans' cheers were louder than ever.

New York correspondent Kim Hyunwoo brings us the report from the scene.

[Reporter]

The area in front of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, 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 opening night of the North American tour by the group BTS.

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

However, long lines of fans have already formed in front of the stadium.

It was easy to spot ARMY members wearing traditional hanbok or outfits featuring Hangeul.

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

The concert began with an introduction to the title of this tour, "Arirang."

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

The members moved across various parts of the stage designed with the motif of the Taegeukgi, connecting with their fans.

The atmosphere of the venue shifted moment by moment depending on the colors of the light sticks waved by 78,000 fans together.

[Jimin / BTS Member: Today, you sang so beautifully and danced so amazingly, making it such an enjoyable day.]

Recently, BTS declared they would not submit their music to next year's Grammy Awards—which newly established an Asian music category while urging that music should not be segregated by region and language—sparking growing criticism against the Grammys and continued fallout.

[Eva / New York, US: Honestly, I was annoyed. I think BTS hasn't been given a fair chance. I respect their choice not to be part of the Grammys.]

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

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Note: Video and photo credits below)
(Video reporting: Lee Hee-hoon, Video editing: Shin Se-eun, Footage provided by: Big Hit Music)