South Korea preps for ARMY of visitors to mark BTS's 10th anniversary

SEOUL, June 5 (UPI) -- South Korea is preparing for an influx of foreign visitors next week for K-pop sensation BTS's 10th birthday.

The Seoul Metropolitan City announced Sunday that the capital city is hosting a festival to celebrate the debut anniversary of BTS, the world's most popular boy band of recent years.

The event, slated for June 12-25 in Seoul, was organized in conjunction with HYBE, the group's label.

BTS, composed of seven Korean members, debuted on June 17, 2013 with the release of 2 Cool 4 Skools.

In 2018, the band became the first Korean music act to receive gold certification standards from the Recording Industry Association of America.

In 2020, they achieved another first, becoming the only Korean act until then to debut at No. 1 on the Billboards Hot 100 with Dynamite.

The following year saw the continuation of their popularity, their second English-language track Butter blazing the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

But with Korea's mandatory military service on the horizon for most members, the group decided last year to take a hiatus, with some venturing onto solo projects.

As of last month, two of the band members -- Jin and J-Hope -- were on duty defending the country, as all able-bodied South Korean men must enlist before the age of 28 to serve for a minimum of 18 months.

Despite the separation, the seven-member band is prepared to release a new single titled "Take Two" this Friday to coincide with the celebratory events of their 10-year anniversary.

In support, Seoul plans to hold a fireworks display at the Han River Park. Videos of the K-pop stars will be screened at subway stations.

The city said it had designated "BTS weeks" to help bolster visits by foreign visitors, including the members of the ARMY, the official fan club of BTS.