K-Pop Sensation BTS to Return to US for In-Person Concerts

BTS poses at the carpet during arrivals ahead of iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at The Forum, in Inglewood, California, US, December 3, 2021. (Reuters)
BTS poses at the carpet during arrivals ahead of iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at The Forum, in Inglewood, California, US, December 3, 2021. (Reuters)
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K-Pop Sensation BTS to Return to US for In-Person Concerts

BTS poses at the carpet during arrivals ahead of iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at The Forum, in Inglewood, California, US, December 3, 2021. (Reuters)
BTS poses at the carpet during arrivals ahead of iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at The Forum, in Inglewood, California, US, December 3, 2021. (Reuters)

South Korean boy band BTS will return to the United States for a series of concerts in Las Vegas in April, their agency said on Wednesday.

The concerts, part of their "Permission to Dance on Stage" tour that has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, will be held on April 8-9 and 15-16, with the last show live-streamed, Bit Hit Music said in a statement.

Since debuting in 2013, BTS has spearheaded a global K-pop craze with catchy, upbeat music and dances, as well as lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people, many of whom have formed massive online fan bases.

The seven-member group played its first in-person concerts since the onset of the pandemic in November, in Los Angeles, and last week announced it would put on the first shows for their home fans since the pandemic began, with three concerts in the capital, Seoul, next month.

On Tuesday Big Hit said V, the band's singer and songwriter whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, had recovered from a coronavirus infection.

He was the band's fifth member to contract COVID-19, including three who tested positive in December shortly after their return from the US shows.

As the pandemic spread in 2020, the band postponed and then called off what was meant to be their biggest international tour involving nearly 40 concerts. They held some online shows instead.



World’s Most Popular TikTok Star Khaby Lame Leaves the US after Being Detained by ICE

Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)
Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)
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World’s Most Popular TikTok Star Khaby Lame Leaves the US after Being Detained by ICE

Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)
Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)

Khaby Lame, the world’s most popular TikTok personality with millions of followers, has left the US after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa.

The Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed in a statement.

Lame arrived in the US on April 30 and “overstayed the terms of his visa,” the ICE spokesperson said. The Associated Press sent a message seeking comment Tuesday to the email address listed on Lame’s Instagram account. He has not publicly commented on his detainment.

His detainment and voluntary departure from the US comes amid President Donald Trump’s escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests against ICE, as the president tests the bounds of his executive authority.

A voluntary departure, which was granted to Lame, allows those facing removal from the US to avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could prevent them from being allowed back into the US for up to a decade.

The 25-year-old rose to international fame during the pandemic without ever saying a word in his videos, which would show him reacting to absurdly complicated “life hacks.” He has over 162 million followers on TikTok alone.

The Senegal-born influencer moved to Italy when he was an infant with his working class parents and has Italian citizenship.

His internet fame quickly evolved. He signed a multi-year partnership with designer brand Hugo Boss in 2022. In January, he was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.

Last month, he attended the Met Gala in New York City, days after arriving in the US.