Seoul police will establish a crowd control zone for up to 100,000 people at BTS's comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday. Officials anticipate around 260,000 attendees in the area, with stringent safety measures in place recalling the 2022 Itaewon tragedy. President Lee Jae Myung urged the public to cooperate with safety personnel and report ticket scalping.
Seoul Metropolitan Police announced on March 18 that they will set up a crowd control zone with a capacity of 100,000 people—one person per square meter—around the stage for K-pop group BTS's concert at Gwanghwamun Square at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Police expect about 260,000 people to gather from the square to Sungnye Gate, the largest turnout since up to 250,000 cheered during the 2002 World Cup. They will deploy 72 teams of riot police and 35 teams of detectives for random checkpoints, requiring entrants to pass through metal detectors and searches for hazardous materials. A police official told reporters, 'We decided to create the safest conditions possible given the nature of the event that can be attended by anyone in an open downtown area, and memories of the Itaewon tragedy,' referring to the 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 people. The Seoul city government plans an on-site headquarters near Gwanghwamun Square from 10 a.m. Saturday, involving the interior ministry, Jung and Jongno ward offices, police and fire authorities, with 8,200 personnel monitoring safety. Medical booths will be in three zones, safety fences in high-risk areas around Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul Plaza and Cheonggye Plaza, and 2,551 toilet facilities secured. Services in English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Mongolian will expand for foreigners. The government will raise the terror alert by one notch in central Seoul from midnight Wednesday to midnight Saturday. President Lee Jae Myung wrote on X, 'Relevant ministries, local government, police, firefighting and other agencies are making full preparations,' asking cooperation with on-site personnel and reports of ticket scalping.
