BTS have defended their decision to perform in Saudi Arabia, insisting they accepted the gig to give fans in the Middle East a chance to see them live.
The K-pop superstars will resume their BTS World Tour Love Yourself: Speak Yourself on 10 October at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - at the request of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
Since the gig was announced, the group has been met with criticism, after the ruler was implicated in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but the band insist they ultimately agreed to the appearance for the sake of their fans.
"I wouldn't say it was easy," singer RM shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter magazine. "But we were officially invited. It's been a while since we've performed in the Middle East - I guess the last time was 2015 in Dubai."
Bandmate Jimin added: "To put it simply, if there's a place where people want to see us, we'll go there. That's really how we feel."
RM went on to insist that the group tries to find the positive in every situation, explaining, "BTS doesn't talk about big issues like war or peace, or global poverty or starvation", before telling the publication: "There are a lot of issues, both in the United States and in Korea... I think the message (is) loving yourself, as well as to look at the small things."
