K-pop sensation BTS attracted French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron to its stadium concert in Paris on Friday (local time), underlining the group’s global appeal ahead of its upcoming performance at the FIFA World Cup final halftime show.
According to The Korea Times, President Macron shared a video from the concert on social media on Saturday, accompanied by the French message, “Bienvenue à Paris” (“Welcome to Paris”).
The Korea Times reported that BTS staged the European finale of its BTS World Tour ‘ARIRANG’ at the Stade de France over two nights, from Friday to Saturday. During Friday’s concert, the French president and first lady surprised fans by attending the show from the stands.
The presidential couple appeared on the stadium’s giant screens while the members were interacting with the audience across the stage. The crowd erupted in cheers as the pair smiled and held the official BTS light sticks.
According to French media, the concert coincided with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and France. Their attendance was widely seen as a symbol of the strong cultural ties between the two countries.
The French first lady has previously spoken about her admiration for K-pop, saying her grandchildren are also enthusiastic fans of the genre. During President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to South Korea in April, she received a white porcelain tableware set and signed albums from several K-pop artists, including BTS, Stray Kids and G-Dragon.
The Paris concert drew about 92,000 spectators on Friday alone, including 88,000 seated fans and those in the floor standing area.
Meanwhile, BTS also continues to perform strongly on global music charts. According to the group’s agency, BigHit Music, the song “NORMAL” from the band’s fifth studio album ARIRANG re-entered the Spotify Daily Top Songs Global chart at No. 9.
The album’s lead single, “SWIM,” ranked No. 8 on the same chart. The song has remained in the global top 10 after spending 25 consecutive days at No. 1 following its release four months ago.
