On the afternoon of July 1 (local time), the journey to King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, where the group BTS held their first-ever concert in Belgium since their debut, was no easy task.

Every train arriving at the platform of Line 6, bound for King Baudouin Stadium, was packed to the brim, reminiscent of a sardine can.

When an elderly man, who had let several trains pass by in hesitation, asked with a puzzled expression what was going on, an employee from the Brussels public transport company STIB, who was out to manage the crowds, responded with a bewildered look, "We doubled the number of subway trains because of BTS, and it is still like this."

The subway cars were filled with ARMY, many wearing BTS-themed outfits and accessories.

In the crowded cars without air conditioning, most passengers were drenched in sweat, yet their faces were filled with excitement.

April, a woman in her 20s who warned the reporter to watch out for his bag because the subway doors were struggling to close, and her boyfriend, Alex, said they had traveled from Manchester, England, to see the BTS concert.

April, who is from the Philippines, has been a die-hard fan since she attended a BTS concert in Manila eight years ago.

The couple mentioned that they had originally planned to see the London concert on July 6–7, but after failing to secure tickets, they chose Brussels as their next best option, adding that they were satisfied as the hotel costs seemed slightly lower than in London.

Due to safety concerns, only one exit gate was open, making it take a good 20 minutes to get from the subway platform to the surface.

However, instead of complaining, the ARMYs expressed their excitement by singing BTS songs, including Arirang, together.

Ronia, an 18-year-old high school student from Finland who chatted in front of the ticket gate, said she had grown up listening to BTS songs since elementary school and that she had finally achieved her dream of watching BTS in person after saving her pocket money for three years.

Although it was still a long time before the doors opened, the area in front of the stadium was already crowded with people.

Seeing a group of people gathered around a young man wearing a gat (traditional Korean hat), a dopo (traditional overcoat), and rubber shoes, I approached him thinking he might be Korean, but he turned out to be a 26-year-old Belgian man.

The man, who identified himself as Benoit, said he was captivated by hanbok at a royal palace during a trip to Korea last year. He added that he had purchased the dopo in Paris recently and had ordered the gat from Korea to be delivered.

A fan of BTS for eight years, he expressed his emotion, saying that while ARMYs in other European countries have to travel abroad to see a BTS concert, he felt like he was dreaming to be able to see them in his own city.

Veronica (53), a middle-aged woman wearing a T-shirt she had hand-written with the word Brussels in Korean, said she had arrived in Brussels from Florence, Italy, four days ago with her 25-year-old daughter, Sharon, acting as her bodyguard.

Revealing that she is a much bigger BTS fan than her daughter, she said she had visited Brussels for the first time in her life thanks to BTS, and praised the group for their role in connecting Europeans as one.

Rodrick, a Brazilian-Swedish man, was handing out flyers in front of the venue with the message, "ARIRANG Forever with BTS."

On the back, there was an explanation that read, "We want to surprise the BTS members with this paper. Please hold this up when we all sing Arirang at the concert."

He said he became an ARMY after following his Korean-born wife, who was adopted to Sweden as a baby. Having arrived at the venue early to distribute 40,000 flyers he had printed himself, he laughed and said, "Perhaps because of the influence of my wife, who carries Korean blood, I think I can empathize with the emotions Koreans feel when listening to Arirang."

Police officers in uniform were also seen patrolling frequently around the venue that day.

Kenny, a police officer in his 30s, mentioned that it would be a busy day as the match between the Belgian national football team and Senegal for the Round of 32 was also scheduled for that evening, but he stated that he was not worried about the BTS concert.

He explained that football matches often involve high tension due to excited spectators, but BTS fans who came to watch the concert were "peaceful people."

He then asked, "Look at the crowds coming out of the subway station. Isn't it over 95 percent women?"

Officer Kenny added that while he is not particularly fond of BTS songs, his wife and young son are avid fans, so he knows the music well, noting, "If they are the type of people who like the wholesome and lyrical songs of BTS, there is no need to worry (about maintaining public order)."

The police hinted that there were quite a few fans who had traveled long distances from the United States, crossing the Atlantic, as well as from neighboring European countries like the Netherlands and Germany, to attend the concert.

The popularity of Korean food was also evident as a steady stream of people visited the local Korean restaurant in Brussels that was selling Korean street food such as gimbap, tteokbokki, and seasoned fried chicken in front of the venue.

The BTS concert in Brussels continues until July 2, local time.

(Photo: Yonhap News)