When will BTS come to India? Debunking claims going viral on Desi ARMY fandom

With the power of K-pop and BTS growing drastically every day, it’s evident that fans want the sensational group to visit their country. Among them is the Indian ARMY, who patiently waits for the group to arrive.

Keeping the vast number of Indian ARMYs in mind, reports claiming the group has added India to their 2022 World Tour are going viral online. One primary thing to note is that these "claims" do not come from official, genuine sources.

But will BTS ever come to India? The short answer is that there are chances that they might. It just might not be as soon as some claim or even in the same place. Keep reading to find out why.

Debunking the rumor of BTS performing in India as part of the PTD world tour

Considering the Hallyu wave continues to take India by storm, whether in the form of K-drama or K-pop, the diverse country has seen bouts of K-pop celebrities pop up for a concert from the very start.

But just like the rest of the world, India also has a massive fan-following of BTS. The seven-member boy group was the most-mentioned K-pop celebrity in 2020-2021 on Indian Twitter.

With the announcement of a Permission to Dance On Stage in Seoul and Las Vegas tour, there’s nothing more an Indian ARMY wants than BTS performing in their home country. The group was also predicted to release additional dates announcing a world tour, and this news has now opened a floodgate of rumors.

Recently, articles have been filling social media claiming "sources" revealed that the boy group has added an Indian city as a destination for their upcoming PTD tour. There are a few fundamental errors that these reports have.

First, there is no mention of who the sources are. In cases where anonymity is required, there is at least one backlink (similar to a hyperlink) or the name of the original news website that first reported it. Throughout multiple websites claiming that India has been added to the list, not one has mentioned a source but has vaguely written "news sources."

Secondly, some websites have confidently mentioned countries such as Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada, and America as a part of the world tour, seemingly looking more credible. However, things to consider: These are the preferred countries for any musician's world tour. There has also been no official word regarding a world tour from HYBE yet.

The only sources that predicted a world tour were South Korean financial analysts, who gaged the Korean industry and its stock markets to present a rough future schedule.

Desi ARMYs are also raising suspicions over the news, as HYBE has not revealed anything about the group's tour schedule.

Deep diving further, it seems that the rumor was taken out of context by the then-KCCI (Korean Cultural Centre in India) director Kim Kum-pyoung’s words.

The director had talked about the possibility of the K-pop group visiting India as part of its world tour once the world gets better after the pandemic, back in November 2020.

So, what are the chances of BTS visiting India?

With multiple things that have happened thanks to media personalities, the chances increase every day. BTS has had two exclusive videos and two written interviews with prominent Indian journalists.

The group has also sent plenty of thank you videos to Indian fans—from a song’s release on Spotify and JioSaavn to a congratulatory message at the K-pop India Contest 2020.

Desi ARMYs also saw representation during BTS’ stages, which had the word “love” written in multiple Indian regional languages among different global languages.

It’s fair to say that both HYBE and BTS know about the unconditional love of Indian ARMYs. But holding a concert might take some time. Hosting shows requires logistics, costs, marketing, an understanding of the country’s culture, and a lot more.

The K-pop group visiting India for the 2022 World Tour does seem bleak, but not all hope is lost until HYBE makes an official statement.

Desi ARMYs are meanwhile waiting for the agency to add India to PTD’s Live-Viewing (concert live-streamed in theaters). The concert will commence in Seoul on March 10, continuing on March 12 and 13. The group will then fly to LA for the Grammys and continue their tour of the city.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

Know More

Edited by Yasho Amonkar