BTS received high praise for showcasing their positive influence through thoughtful preparation during a concert held on National Liberation Day.
On August 15 (local time), BTS took the stage for their world tour "ARIRANG" at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Coincidentally, the day marked Korea's Liberation Day. During the performance, the members appeared on stage wearing custom-designed t-shirts featuring sophisticated styling of the Taegeukgi, incorporating the Taegeuk pattern and the four trigrams.
In particular, JIMIN drew attention by completing a styling reminiscent of the Taegeukgi with red and blue hairpieces, infusing the meaning of Liberation Day into the entire stage. Local ARMY who saw this cheered for the members by shouting, "Happy Liberation Day," and following the concert, ARMY were even spotted searching for the meaning of the Taegeukgi, naturally learning about Korean history.
Heartwarming scenes continued during the same concert. Walking toward the audience mid-performance, JIMIN approached Olivia, a young girl battling pediatric cancer, made eye contact, bent down to hand her his key ring, hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek. This touched many hearts after cameras captured Olivia shouting with joy and unable to contain her happiness, saying, "I got a kiss!"
The sponsoring organization Heroes for Children shared via social media, "Thank you to BTS for giving Olivia the most affectionate hug at last night's show," adding, "It will be a jewel-like memory etched in her heart for a lifetime."
Olivia's mother also reportedly expressed her gratitude separately. She shared her appreciation, saying, "Our daughter loves JIMIN so much. I love JIMIN, too. Thank you for giving us such a warm moment. My daughter and her friends are so excited. They are little angels fighting cancer." She added, "She is a child who usually has to go to bed at 9, but she refused to let go of the gift JIMIN gave her and didn't fall asleep until 3 in the morning."
The lingering emotion has continued even after the news broke. Voluntary donations from ARMY touched by the moment have followed to Heroes for Children, spreading JIMIN's positive influence into another wave of warmth.
Meanwhile, BTS is currently on their world tour "ARIRANG" and will take the stage at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Canada, on August 22 and 23 following their Arlington concert.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)