BTS's 'Arirang' Tour Extends Into the British Museum With a Korea Gallery Trail

BTS has partnered with the British Museum to open a participatory gallery program called the Korea Gallery Trail, running through July 23, timed to the group's London concerts as part of their ongoing Arirang world tour. HYBE, the group's label, announced the collaboration on July 8, framing it as one strand of a wider London activation titled BTS THE CITY ARIRANG–LONDON.

The trail uses Arirang, the title of BTS's fifth studio album, as its organizing theme, grouping artifacts from the museum's permanent Korea Gallery around the ideas of hope, resilience, and a sense of belonging. The selection leans heavily on Silla-dynasty objects, a curatorial choice drawn from No.29, the sixth track on the album, which was inspired by the resonant tone of the Emille Bell, a renowned eighth-century Korean bronze bell from the Silla period.

Among the highlighted pieces are the sarangbang (a traditional men's reception room), presented as a symbol of new beginnings; a moon jar, selected for what HYBE describes as its expression of human connection; an intricately worked gold earring representing the craftsmanship of the era; and a sumagsae roof tile seen as carrying cultural vitality. Each object sits within the gallery's existing permanent display, the trail does not rearrange the collection but layers a new interpretive path on top of it.

Visitors participate by scanning a QR code at the entrance to the Korea Gallery. The code delivers a guided route through the selected artifacts and invites participants to answer the prompt What is Your Arirang?, connecting a personal experience or memory to one of the objects and sharing it on social media. The campaign is designed to fold the museum visit into a broader conversation about what the concept of arirang, a traditional Korean folk song and shared cultural touchstone, means to individuals across different backgrounds.

"Visitors will be able to deeply appreciate the technology and artistry of the time," HYBE said in a statement. "BTS's music and Korean cultural heritage will meet the personal experiences of visitors from around the world, generating new resonance."

The London leg of the Arirang world tour ran at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 6 and 7. The Korea Gallery Trail at the British Museum continues through July 23. The British Museum's Korea Gallery is one of the more substantial permanent collections of Korean artifacts in Europe, making it a fitting institutional partner for a program that asks Western audiences to engage with Korean history on their own terms, guided, in this case, by a group that has spent a decade making that kind of cultural translation its core work.