The tour, which kicked off in April and stretches well into 2027, will span 34 cities. BTS and their record label Hybe stand to make nearly $2bn (£1.5bn) from their reunion, derived from concerts, merchandise, licensing, album sales and streaming revenue, some analysts told Reuters news agency.
Across Asia, the number of people vying for tickets exceeded what’s available by 15 times, the BBC understands.
They are still adding new dates because of the staggering demand. Just last week, Jakarta and Bulacan in the Philippines learned they would each host a third show.
When the new date was announced, Vevee decided to “fight for those tickets again”, but on official channels, unlike last time when panic got the better of her, she explains.
“I was about to go into a meeting at work and was so terrified that someone else would grab the tickets. I just wanted to transfer the money quickly to lock them in, she says.
“If I had just taken a moment to calm down, I might have spotted the red flags.”
In Singapore, the police have received at least 62 complaints involving BTS concert tickets since 1 June, with losses amounting to more than S$68,000.
E-commerce company Carousell has suspended the reselling of tickets on its platform, and the ban will be in place until 22 December, the date of BTS’ final show in Singapore.
Last week, the Malaysian police said they have received 28 reports from individuals claiming they had been cheated while trying to secure tickets. Authorities are trying to trace “mule accounts” involved in the transactions, they say.
In the early years, BTS’ concerts were largely in South Korea, Japan and the US. As the band grew more famous, and fans from across the world joined their “Army”, their schedule expanded to more of Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
But the ongoing Arirang World Tour is the first time the band will stage multiple shows in five South East Asian countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Tickets in the region are priced between $100 and $300. The most expensive package includes access to pre-show soundchecks, premium seats and BTS merchandise.
