New London — Meggan Coronel Marca’s eyes lit up when asked about the upcoming BTS concert Saturday.

The 17-year-old New Londoner and friend Naysha Valencia appeared to be the first fans to arrive at the Mystic Luxury Cinemas ahead of the 4:30 p.m. showing of the wildly popular K-pop group’s concert in Seoul, South Korea.

Coronel Marca was carrying a light stick, called an ARMY Bomb, and decked out in BT21 merchandise — hat, shirt and pins with animated characters depicting members of the seven-member South Korean band that has a passionate worldwide following. The fan base is known as ARMY, for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth (M.C. can stand for master of ceremonies or microphone checker), of which Coronel Marca and Valencia are members.

“We listen to their music and support their voice,” Coronel Marca said.

As to what attracts so many followers to the group, Coronel Marca said, “they are incredibly humble, the music is touching and a lot of their songs have messages that are relatable ... and deal with societal issues.”

The two teens were among dozens of fans who came out on Saturday for a broadcast of the concert inside an 80-seat theater. BTS is performing three shows in Seoul on March 10, 12 and 13 as part of the “Permission to Dance on Stage” tour, the first concerts in their home country in two years because of the pandemic. Saturday’s show was broadcast in selected theaters worldwide.

While the group has played virtual concerts, BTS has not toured the Northeast since 2019. It canceled its North American leg of the 2020 Map of the Soul World Tour because of COVID-19. Valencia, who had tickets to a New Jersey show, has not yet had a chance to see BTS live or gather with fellow ARMY members.

BTS, is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan in Korean, whose English translation is Bulletproof Boy Scouts. The group has a list of chart-topping songs that include “Dynamite” and “Butter.”

Their music, according to Billboard, is not only catchy pop but also tackles social issues. BTS in 2018 became the first K-pop group to speak at the United Nations to help launch the U.N.’s Generation Unlimited, an education and employment program for young people. They donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter in 2020 with ARMY matching the donation with an additional $1 million to BLM.

As 12-year-old Noor Mansour points out, some of their songs contain English lyrics, unlike other K-pop artists. Tatiana Cowell, 15, of Groton, said she was likely to have a hard time refraining from screaming once the concert got underway.

g.smith@theday.com