Sung Si-kyung Recalls Getting Nervous Around Jung Kook as BTS Draws 110,000 ARMY in Busan

Sung Si-kyung candidly confessed the nervousness he felt when he encountered Jung Kook of BTS. In a similar vein, BTS celebrated their 13th debut anniversary by holding the world tour ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN BUSAN’ in Busan, meeting 110,000 ARMY.

Sung Si-kyung Reveals Encounter with Jung Kook at Awards Ceremony

Singer Sung Si-kyung recalled his meeting with Jung Kook on the KBS2TV show ‘The Seasons - Sung Si-kyung's Eardrum Boyfriend’. When Indonesian singer Raisa designated Jung Kook as an artist she wishes to collaborate with in the future, Sung Si-kyung brought up the moment he encountered Jung Kook at a past awards ceremony.

Sung Si-kyung said that seeing Jung Kook made him so excited and nervous that he wanted to take a photo, but as a senior, he pretended to be calm and only offered words of encouragement. Though it was a brief meeting, his careful regard for a junior artist came through clearly.

Musical connections and behind-the-scenes stories between the cast members continued during the broadcast. Lee Jung-hoon of Nell shared a heartwarming story of how Sung Si-kyung used to personally see off the members in taxis when they were drunk, and Kim Jong-wan of Nell expressed his respect, stating that he thinks of Sung Si-kyung's tone when imagining an ideal male voice. Nell also gave the first performance on the broadcast of a track from their 10th full-length album, their first in five years.

BTS Meets 110,000 ARMY for 'ARIRANG' in Busan for Two Days

To celebrate their 13th debut anniversary, BTS held the world tour ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN BUSAN’ for two days from June 12 to 13 at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium. This stage, held in Busan for the first time in approximately 3 years and 8 months, saw an assembly of 110,000 ARMY who gathered from all over the world.

This performance was introduced as a 'homecoming' held in Korea, the roots of the members, and an extension of their last full-group activities before enlistment. j-hope expressed his affection for Korean fans on stage, saying, “Performing in my country, on the land I am stepping on, is the most enjoyable.”

The performance consisted of Act 1 ‘BTS’ and Act 2 ‘KOREA’. In Act 1, songs like ‘Hooligan’, ‘Aliens’, and ‘Run BTS’ followed, delivering the energy of the full-group stage.

A Stage Filled with Gyeonghoeru Pavilion and Traditional Yeonhui

The Busan performance focused on visually capturing the sentiment of the tour title ‘ARIRANG’ within the stage. In the center of the stage, a massive pavilion-style structure inspired by the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion was installed, and a rotating stage with Taegeuk patterns and a protruding stage shaped like Geon-gon-gam-ri were added so that the performance could be enjoyed from all 360 degrees.

Korean elements were also placed on various stages. In ‘they don’t know ‘bout us’, graphics that modernly reinterpreted traditional masks were used, and in ‘Merry Go Round’, a massive flow of fabric resembling the movements of traditional Seungmu was produced. With performances combining Korean-language stage versions and traditional Yeonhui, the performance left a deep impression on the audience.