There’s a story that’s been doing the rounds about BTS for the last few days. And, as it contains all the fun elements about K-pop, we decided to take a look at it. After all, it includes K-pop, ticket panic, temples, matchmaking, deity offerings, and desperate fans. Read on for the ultimate bit of catnip for Korean music fans.
Desperation For Tickets
Several mainstream outlets and some not-so-established reported on June 1 that tons of people seem desperate for a ticket to BTS concerts. It was Korea Times that mentioned the Bangka Longshan Temple in Taipei.
Per their report, people arrived bearing “wish lists” and more. And they quoted university student Ye Yu-ting, 22, as saying, “If you truly believe in it, your wish will come true.”
Well, wishes might come true, but it seems K-pop fans might need to help them along a little. The Bangkok Post reported that hope, faith, and a bit of sacrifice started trending a few years ago.
Believing In The God Of Love
Apparently, Yue Lao is traditionally asked to help people find love, not concert tickets.
Some of the altar petitions – via APT YouTube (
However, some BTS fans appear willing to expand his job description. And there lies the wonderful world where modern day music collides with tradition.
The Tables Looked Amazing
According to Interaksyon, the visuals looked amazing. It described fans “arranging items neatly on the altar table” while they prayed. But there was a practical aspect that shouldn’t be ruled out.
That’s because tickets for BTS are not easy to come by. Most of the people taking part were young fans, and it all went down on the weekend of May 30.
Apparently, items laid out included things like snack boxes, light sticks, and even plush dolls. One main theme seemed to be printed seating arrangements and even adverts for the concert venues.
Some Sacrifices
Photocards also appeared that were impressive, given their rarity. So, it also took a bit of personal sacrifice. Did you know that on social media platforms like X, a lot of card trading goes on?
When ATP shared a video on YouTube, BTS fans hopped into the comments. One of them said, “The world has truly gone mad. Seriously?”
Tradition Runs Deep Worldwide
Well, it might look crazy outside of Asian culture. But traditional roots run deep everywhere in the world.
Another viewer opined, “BTS is amazing,” per Google Translate. Written in Korean, it seemed a fond way of enjoying the fact that so many people wanted to get seats for a concert. And who can blame them?
Amazing BTS Success
The South Korean group achieved amazing success. Recently, their album, Arirang sold one million copies in just ten minutes and broke the records after one day with sales reaching nearly four million.
The group also made streaming history when Dynamite became the first song by a Korean act to hit 2 billion streams on Spotify. And in the US, a hard market to impress, they sold plenty of tracks: millions of them.
What are your thoughts? Are you surprised that so many fans turned to a Taiwanese love deity in the hope of getting tickets and good seats? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your K-pop news and updates.