BTS draws French president to Paris concert ahead of World Cup halftime show

K-pop powerhouse BTS drew French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron to its stadium concert in Paris on Friday (local time), highlighting the global influence of the band ahead of its historic upcoming performance at the World Cup final.

President Macron shared a video of the concert on his social media on Saturday with a message in French saying "Bienvenue a Paris," which means welcome to Paris.

The K-pop band held the European finale of its world tour, titled "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG,’” at the Stade de France from Friday to Saturday.

During the first show on Friday, the French leader and the first lady surprised the audience by watching the performance from the stands.

The presidential couple appeared on the stadium's giant screens during the concert while the band members were moving around the stage to interact with the crowd.

The stadium instantly erupted into cheers as the screens showed the couple smiling and holding the official BTS glowing fan light sticks.

French media observed the concert took place as Korea and France celebrate the 140th anniversary o ...