[Dispatch=Reporter Park Hye-jin] BTS wrapped up the 'Ariang' North American tour with 840,000 'Ariang' fans.

BTS held 15 performances across five cities starting from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, USA on April 25 (local time), followed by El Paso, Mexico City, Stanford, and Las Vegas.

The members performed both past and new songs. Particularly notable was the symbolic moment during 'Body to Body' when fans from various countries sang 'Ariang' in Korean.

BTS generated interest beyond the group's influence, sparking broader interest in Korean culture. ABC7 San Francisco reported, "Their popularity is spreading into interest in the Korean language and culture."

Daphna Zur, a Korean studies professor at Stanford University, said in an interview with media, "Unlike other foreign languages where enrollment is declining, there is enormous interest in Korean language, Korean history, Korean culture, Korean literature, and sociology."

BTS received an invitation from the local president in Mexico City. They visited the presidential palace and received a commemorative plaque as distinguished visitors. Approximately 50,000 citizens welcomed them at Zócalo Square.

The welcome continued in El Paso. The El Paso County Commission presented members with the 'Estimado Amigo' award. The performance date was proclaimed 'El Paso BTS Weekend.'

'BTS Nomics' was realized. Las Vegas broadcaster Eight News Now highlighted the atmosphere with the headline 'BTS Mania in Las Vegas' before the performances.

Media outlets forecast that BTS's concerts would bring up to 200 million dollars (approximately 301.4 billion won) in economic impact to the Las Vegas area.

Florida broadcaster Ten Tampa Bay News projected that BTS would bring approximately 800 to 900 million dollars (approximately 1.2 trillion won) in economic impact to Tampa.

The Mexico City Chamber of Commerce predicted economic spillover effects of approximately 107.5 million dollars (approximately 155.7 billion won). Audiences from around the world brought vitality throughout the city.

BTS ranked number one in Top Tours for April. According to Billboard's calculations, BTS achieved 76.2 million dollars (approximately 114.5 billion won) in revenue and 417,000 tickets sold through eight performances held in Goyang, Tokyo, and Tampa throughout April.

The three performances held in Tampa particularly set the highest revenue and largest attendance for a single venue in April. Billboard reported that performances in Tampa and El Paso achieved average revenue of 12.1 million dollars (approximately 18.2 billion won) per show.

BTS now heads to Busan. They will hold a concert at the Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on the 12th and 13th of next month. On the 26th, they begin their European tour in Madrid, Spain. In August, they embark on their second North American tour starting with East Rutherford.

<Photo provided by Big Hit Music (HYBE)>