K-pop group BTS' comeback tour has boosted South Korea's global'soft power' efforts to promote South Korean culture. The band's return to the scene was approved on public-interest grounds as a showcase of national cultural influence. The group's 10th studio album, Arirang, topped charts in the US, Japan and the UK, the world's three largest music markets. BTS returned to the stage after almost four years of hiatus due to mandatory military service. The concert, which attracted 22,000 free tickets, generated an estimated 30 million fans worldwide, with over 18.4 million viewers tuning in for the Netflix livestream of the concert. The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute estimated that a single BTS concert in Seoul could generate up to 1.2 trillion won ($798m) in overall economic impact.