Seoul: BTS’s long-awaited comeback as the global K-pop group announced this week that their first full-length studio album in nearly four years, titled Arirang, will be released on March 20 alongside a new world tour.
The album title carries deep emotional and cultural significance for Koreans, raising questions about its meaning, its importance to both Koreas, and why BTS chose it for this milestone release.
Arirang is the Korean peninsula’s most cherished folk song and is often described as an unofficial, sentimental national anthem that has resonated across generations. Its origins are believed to date back centuries.
There is no single agreed-upon meaning of the word itself. Some scholars suggest that ‘ari’ may come from an old Korean term meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘aching,’ while ‘rang’ can mean ‘beloved,’ though these interpretations remain debated.
Symbolically, references to crossing the Arirang ridge or mountain pass are commonly understood as a metaphor for moving from despair to hope, or journeying through hardship toward something better.
The song exists in more than 60 versions, with over 3,600 recorded lyrical variations. The most well-known version features the refrain ‘Arirang, arirang, arariyo’ in which ‘arariyo’ is thought to function as an emotional expression rather than a literal word. Its simple, flexible melody makes it easy to learn and adapt, allowing anyone to sing it and add verses reflecting personal experiences.
Over generations, Koreans have used Arirang to express joy, sorrow, longing, and resilience. It has been sung in rice fields, at protests, during family gatherings, and at national ceremonies, becoming deeply woven into everyday life and collective memory.
The song gained heightened symbolic power during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945. It became a form of cultural resistance, particularly following the release of the 1926 silent film Arirang, which told the story of a Korean man driven mad after being tortured by Japanese authorities. When the film’s theme song played, audiences were reportedly moved to tears, and the colonial government later banned the song.
Despite decades of political division, Arirang remains one of the few cultural elements that has historically transcended the split between North and South Korea. Both governments have registered it with UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
It has also been used as a symbol of unity on the global stage, most notably when athletes from the two Koreas marched together at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, with Arirang played in place of either national anthem.
As a result, the song has become a cultural ambassador for Korea and a powerful representation of Korean identity.
Against this backdrop, BTS’s decision to name their album Arirang carries particular significance. At a time when many mainstream K-pop groups adopt internationalised images and aesthetics to appeal to global audiences, the choice signals a clear affirmation of BTS’s Korean roots.
The group has consistently embraced their heritage, from wearing traditional hanbok in music videos and addressing Korean social issues in their lyrics to previously performing an Arirang medley on stage.
By selecting this title, BTS frames their comeback not as a reinvention but as a return. Their label, BigHit Music, said the album captures ‘the longing and deep love’ that lie at the heart of BTS’s story, with Arirang serving as a symbolic expression of those emotions.
For millions of fans worldwide who may be encountering, or rediscovering, Arirang through BTS, the album is expected to offer an entry point into the cultural foundation that has shaped one of the world’s biggest pop groups.
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