Coronavirus: BTS fans keep fervour alive, donate for Covid-19 fight

BTS in February cancelled the Seoul leg of the upcoming ‘Map of the Soul’ tour amid the Covid-19 outbreak

The band’s fans have emulated their idols in donating money for coronavirus relief, contributing more than half a billion won

Reading Time:2 minutes

A BTS fan takes a selfie at a cafe decorated with photos and merchandise of the band in Seoul. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:52pm, 18 Mar 2020Updated: 5:54pm, 18 Mar 2020

South Korea’s BTS may have cancelled their April concert in Seoul over coronavirus fears, but the K-pop group’s fervent fans are rallying in small groups and emulating their idols in donating money for coronavirus relief.

“When the concert was cancelled, I was really upset,” said one disappointed fan, Im Yu-mi, 19, sitting in her room on a chair covered by a BTS blanket.

Im scoffed at the idea that the concert cancellation had cooled the fervour of BTS’ global fan base known as ARMY, an acronym for Adorable Representative MC for Youth.

“It’s nonsense,” she said, waving a glowstick and tapping her foot to the band’s latest music video.

Around 200,000 fans had been expected to go to the concert, which was to be the first leg of BTS’ “Map of the Soul” tour of 18 cities, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., London and Tokyo.

Those concerts have not yet been cancelled, but the swift spread of the virus globally has cast doubt on the rest of the tour.