BTS attends iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2021 in Los Angeles. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Popular Korean pop boy band BTS is planning to hold three in-person concerts in South Korea next month, despite surging COVID-19 cases, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Why it matters: South Korea is currently experiencing record-breaking rates of new COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, the country surpassed 90,000 new daily infections for the first time in the pandemic, Reuters reported.
- On Monday, the State Department issued a Level 4 Health Notice for South Korea, its highest classification for risk, advising against traveling to the country due to the "very high level of COVID-19 in the country."
The big picture: Although BTS has performed concerts in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, this will be its first time performing in South Korea since October 2019, per the Journal.
- In March 2021, BTS was crowned the biggest recording act in the world by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, according to Forbes.
Worth noting: Five of the band's seven members have recently tested positive for COVID-19, Billboard reported.