BTS to Hold Comeback Concert at Gwanghwamun Plaza on the 21st

BTS will stage a comeback live performance at Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul on the 21st. The police have deployed the highest level of security measures expected due to forecasts that up to 260,000 people may gather.

The police will station “anti-drone guns” to prevent illegal drones and assign 6,500 officers to oversee the area. Additionally, over 5,400 pieces of equipment such as aerial surveillance vehicles, lighting units, and folding fences will be deployed. Crowd management will follow a “stadium-style approach,” with attendees allowed to enter the venue only through 31 designated gates. The Gwanghwamun area will be divided into four zones—core zone, hot zone, warm zone, and cold zone—along with 15 sub-regions, managed based on crowd density.

Ahead of the concert, foreign tourists have significantly increased in nearby shopping districts such as Myeongdong, Gwanghwamun, and Insadong. At a café near Exit 9 of Myeongdong Station, around 50 tourists carrying suitcases filled the store from early morning, with Japanese, English, and Chinese spoken throughout the premises.

A nail salon employee said, “BTS-themed nail designs are already popular, but this is the first time all inventory has been sold out. We’ve increased our daytime staff to accommodate more customers over the weekend.” A business owner running a restaurant in Myeongdong added, “When BLACKPINK performed in Incheon a few months ago, foreign tourists also surged in Myeongdong, and we expect a similar effect this time.” Shop owners are hopeful that the concert will revitalize the previously sluggish local business scene.

An employee at a restaurant near Gwanghwamun said, “I heard that nearly 250,000 to 300,000 people will gather on concert day. There are designated exits and planned routes, but since our store is in that area, I’m worried we’ll become even busier.”

Meanwhile, the police have begun investigating accounts suspected of engaging in ticket scalping. Online, cases have been reported where free standing tickets for the concert were sold for 1.5 million won each. A total of 4 accounts suspected of ticket scalping have been referred to the police for investigation.

BTS’s performance at Gwanghwamun Plaza is a rare example of a large-scale public concert by a K-pop group, and the police plan to ensure its success through thorough preparations.