BTS releases animated trailer for comeback album ‘Arirang’, tracing Korean music history

Globally popular K-pop group BTS released an animated trailer for their upcoming fifth studio album Arirang on March 13, linking modern Korean pop music to a historical recording of the traditional folk song that shaped the country’s cultural identity.

The album marks the group’s return after a four-year hiatus during which members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service.

Titled after the centuries-old Korean folk song Arirang, the album draws inspiration from a historic episode involving seven Korean students who travelled to the United States in the late nineteenth century and recorded one of the earliest known versions of the song.

The animated trailer begins with a message noting that the video is inspired by a story documented by The Washington Post on May 8, 1986, describing seven Korean students studying at Howard University in Washington, DC. Historical records indicate that on July 24 that year, the group captured the earliest known audio recording of Koreans in the US, including a version of Arirang.

The video opens with seven young men winding a gramophone before the melody of the folk song begins playing. The scene then shifts to the students boarding a ship bound for the United States.

Historical accounts describe the group — later known as the “Howard Seven” — as young Koreans from noble families who enrolled at Howard University in May 1896 after leaving Korea amid political turmoil and travelling through Japan.

Arirang, believed to be more than 600 years old, has long been regarded as a symbol of Korean identity. During the period of Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945, the song became associated with resistance and national sentiment. Multiple versions of the folk track remain popular in both North and South Korea.

Though historians disagree on the precise meaning of the lyrics, some interpretations translate the title as “beautiful beloved one”. The song’s widely known refrain references a lover crossing the symbolic Arirang Hill, representing separation.

The trailer concludes with a transition from the historical scenes to a modern concert showing BTS performing before a packed audience, illustrating the journey of Korean music from the early recording of Arirang to the group’s global popularity.

BTS’ agency BigHit Music described the video as a creative interpretation intended to introduce international audiences to the cultural and emotional significance of the song.

Formed in 2010, BTS — also known as the Bangtan Boys — comprises Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook. The group has built a global fan base known as ARMY.

The album Arirang is scheduled for release on March 20. BTS will also stage a large live performance in the Gwanghwamun Square area of central Seoul on March 21, with the event set to be streamed worldwide on Netflix.