Photos show Seoul as K-pop group BTS stages its comeback show

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — K-pop giants BTS are back.

A free concert on Saturday night in Seoul drew tens of thousands of fans from around the world.

The city’s skyscrapers glowed with BTS advertisements as the city washed itself in purple, welcoming a legion of global supporters who call themselves the “Army.”

The group’s comeback follows a nearly four-year hiatus due to South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires most men to serve 18 to 21 months. Members began enlisting in 2022, with Suga the last to complete his service in June 2025.

K-pop boy band BTS perform onstage during comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Kim Min-Hee/Pool Photo via AP)

Kpop group BTS waves at the end of their 'BTS The Comeback Live Arirang' concert in central Seoul, South Korea, March 21, 2026. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP)

Fans react during a comeback concert of K-pop band BTS near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Fans watch a screen showing K-pop band BTS's perform during the comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Kpop group BTS perform during 'BTS The Comeback Live Arirang' concert in central Seoul, South Korea, March 21, 2026. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP)

Kpop group BTS perform during 'BTS The Comeback Live Arirang' concert in central Seoul, South Korea, March 21, 2026. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP)

Aradith Gabriel from Mexico, a fan of K-pop band BTS, shows a photo of the BTS members, one of the goods and gifts she brought to exchange with fans from around the world ahead of the comeback concert of K-pop band BTS in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fans of K-pop band BTS, Taylis Fahel, left, and Daniele Favero, right, from Brazil, take a selfie near a stage for the comeback concert of K-pop band BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Japanese fans of K-pop band BTS before a drone light show to celebrate the comeback of the K-pop band BTS at a park along the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Drones light up the night sky during a drone light show to celebrate the comeback of the K-pop band BTS at a park along the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

K-pop band BTS is displayed on big screens on a building in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

People pass by a banner for BTS ahead of a comeback concert of the K-pop band near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

People gather ahead of a comeback concert of K-pop band BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Fans of K-pop band BTS hang banners for BTS on the wall at a fan zone promoting the news album of BTS near the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A man walks past a cafe in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Workers prepare for a concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A fan of K-pop band BTS films billboard showing of BTS in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Photos of K-pop band BTS members are displayed at a cafe in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Messages welcoming BTS fans are displayed on screens ahead of a comeback concert of K-pop group BTS at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A fan of K-pop band BTS takes a selfie in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean police officers stand near a billboard showing K-pop band BTS in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fan of K-pop band BTS in front of a logo of BTS in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fans of K-pop band BTS stand look at photos of BTS members at a cafe in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A screen promoting a comeback concert of K-pop boy group BTS is seen near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Yumika Ueno, a Japanese fan of K-pop band BTS, poses for a photo with her painted nails showing the names of BTS members at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fans of K-pop band BTS, South Korean Chaemin Shin, left, and Vietnamese Tam Tamie, right, and sing at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Workers adjust a banner promoting a comeback concert of K-pop boy group BTS on the government complex building near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.

The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.

“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.

The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”

“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.

The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”

Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”

“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”

The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”

Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.

Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.

Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.

The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”

“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.

“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)