BTS to release album Arirang, drawing on Korea’s iconic folk song

BTS announced a comeback and world tour and will release a new full-length album titled Arirang on 20 March 2026. Arirang is the Korean peninsula’s best-known folk song, an unofficial sentimental national anthem with origins believed to stretch back centuries. There is no single agreed meaning: some scholars link archaic words for “beautiful” or “aching” with “beloved”, and images of crossing an Arirang ridge suggest moving from despair to hope.

The song exists in more than 60 versions and over 3,600 recorded lyrical variations, and the refrain “Arirang, arirang, arariyo” is understood as an emotional refrain rather than a literal word. The song has been sung in rice paddies, at protests, family gatherings and national ceremonies.

It became a symbol of resistance during Japan’s colonial rule, especially after the 1926 silent film of the same name, and was later banned by the colonial government. Arirang has also transcended the peninsula’s division: both North and South Korea have registered it with Unesco as intangible cultural heritage, and it played when athletes from the two Koreas marched together at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics instead of either national anthem.

Choosing Arirang signals a clear affirmation of Korean identity at a time when many K-pop acts adopt international images. BTS have previously incorporated hanbok, addressed Korean social issues in their lyrics and performed an Arirang medley on stage.

Key Topics

Culture, Bts, Arirang, Korean Peninsula, Bighit Music, Unesco