SEOUL, March 21 — The world’s biggest boy band BTS reunites Saturday for an open-air comeback concert in the heart of Seoul, expected to draw around 250,000 people and beamed live across the globe.

AFP asked fans about their favourite of the mega-group’s songs as the seven members are poised to return from a hiatus of almost four years due to by compulsory South Korean military service.

‘Spring Day’

Sung Young-rok, 45, a South Korean, said the 2017 hit about longing for a loved one through the winter resonated deeply with him, particularly as a traditional Korean painter.

He would often paint plum blossoms — one of the four “noble plants” in traditional Korean art — admired for enduring the harsh winter and symbolising perseverance and hope.

And coincidentally, he also often titled his paintings “Spring Day”.

“I’m always someone waiting for spring,” he said.

“Listening to those lyrics, it felt like they were telling my own story.”

Sung said the lyrics conveyed a sense of sincerity that made the song feel personal to him.

‘Magic Shop’

Carmen Low, 32, a fan in Malaysia, said the 2018 track about human connection in times of struggle — and a fan song dedicated to BTS’s supporters — has been a source of comfort.

The lyrics in particular — “On days I hate being myself, on days I want to disappear forever, let’s make a door inside your heart — Open the door and this place will await” — resonated with her.

To Low, the song “represents a quiet, safe space within ourselves that we can return to when life feels heavy and overwhelming,” she told AFP.

“Finding BTS felt a bit like discovering a door — stumbling upon a place where we feel understood, struggles are acknowledged, and we are gently reminded that we are not alone.”

‘Answer: Love Myself’

Gigi Zepmeisel, 44, from the United States, said the 2018 track, centred on self-acceptance, helped her come to terms with who she is.

The song explores themes of self-forgiveness, resilience and honestly coming to terms with one’s past.

“I learned that I am ever evolving and that it is OK to be who I am, but equally it’s OK for me to be who I am not,” she told AFP.

“BTS’s music not only gave me confidence in myself, but gave me a platform to be able to share kindness with the world.”

‘Mikrokosmos’

Youngjoo Shon, a 41-year-old fan from Canada, said the 2019 song about self-realisation remains her favourite.

The song uses the imagery of stars, each shining in its own way, to explore the idea of self-worth.

What makes it especially powerful, she told AFP, is that it presents that light “not as something earned through achievement, but as something inherent to who we are.”

“It reminds you that even in dark, difficult moments, you don’t have to try to be better - you’re already shining just as you are.”

‘Black Swan’

Loukia Kyratzoglou, 48, from Greece, said the 2020 track that deals with themes including purpose and motivation helped her navigate her own life.

The song, with its introspective lyrics, seen by many as BTS grappling, as artists, with the fear of losing their creative drive for music.

Kyratzoglou said she was in a “rather dark place” when she first discovered the group.

“Listening to that song and hearing them express their own struggles with motivation made me feel more connected to them,” she told AFP.

“BTS are human beings who face challenges like all of us, yet they still manage to have such a positive influence. That resonated with me deeply and made me admire them even more.” — AFP