SEOUL, March 13 (AJP) — Towering buildings along Gwanghwamun are wrapped in giant BTS banners and purple-lit billboards as downtown Seoul gears up for the group’s long-awaited comeback concert next week.
Across the historic boulevard, the capital is already shifting into concert mode. Restaurants are fielding bulk reservations, retailers are expanding merchandise displays and convenience stores are stacking drinks and ready-to-eat meals as fans begin arriving from across Korea and overseas.
With just days remaining before the performance scheduled for March 21, authorities expect as many as 260,000 people could gather across the historic district, turning the heart of the Korean capital into a massive open-air concert venue.
While the concert itself will accommodate about 22,000 ticket holders, far larger crowds are expected to fill nearby streets stretching from Gwanghwamun Square toward City Hall, where giant outdoor screens will livestream the performance.
Police plan to deploy about 4,800 officers across the area to manage crowds as authorities coordinate traffic control and safety measures ahead of the anticipated influx of visitors.
The concert follows the release of BTS’s fifth full-length album Arirang on March 20, marking the group’s return as a full lineup after nearly four years.
Businesses prepare for the crowds
For businesses near the historic plaza, preparations began days before the concert.
Restaurants around Gwanghwamun say demand has surged as fans begin arriving in Seoul ahead of the event.
“We’ve been receiving a large number of group orders ahead of the free BTS comeback concert,” said the owner of a restaurant near the square. “At this point, we’re even considering closing the store to the public on the day and focusing solely on fulfilling those orders.”
Convenience stores are also bracing for increased demand.
“Myeongdong has always been crowded, so it’s hard to say whether the concert alone has brought more people,” said the owner of a GS convenience store in the district. “But we plan to increase orders of ready-to-eat meals and drinks starting Thursday evening.”
The owner added that sales of convenience meals have recently been rising and that more foreign visitors appear to be arriving in Seoul ahead of the concert.
Major retailers are also adjusting operations to accommodate the influx of visitors.
The two Musinsa outlets in Myeongdong — the shopping district in downtown Seoul about a 15-minute walk from Gwanghwamun — have expanded merchandise and staffing in anticipation of a surge in foreign shoppers.
“We’re filling staff with foreign speakers and realigning shelves with items popular with foreigners. Our focus is entirely on Myeongdong outlets for next week,” said Kim Jae-eun, a spokesperson for the country’s popular street and online fashion platform.
Convenience stores expand services for foreign visitors
Convenience store operators are also ramping up preparations as the event draws closer.
CU, one of South Korea’s largest convenience store chains operated by BGF Retail, said it will significantly increase inventory at stores near the concert venue, with some locations preparing stock levels more than 100 times higher than usual for key items such as beverages, snacks and ready-to-eat meals.
The company said stores closest to Gwanghwamun will focus on rapid restocking and additional staffing to manage the surge of customers expected during the concert.
Meanwhile, stores located in major tourist districts such as Myeongdong and Hongdae are preparing targeted displays featuring products popular among foreign visitors.
Items frequently purchased by overseas tourists — including banana-flavored milk, spicy instant noodles and fruit-based highball drinks — will be highlighted in dedicated product sections.
CU has also expanded services aimed at international customers.
Some stores now offer AI-powered translation services capable of assisting customers in more than 30 languages, while self-checkout kiosks allow shoppers to complete purchases using English, Japanese or Chinese interfaces.
In tourist-heavy areas such as Myeongdong, the company has also introduced currency-exchange kiosks that allow visitors to convert foreign currencies including U.S. dollars, euros, yen and yuan into Korean won.
The preparations reflect a growing number of international visitors traveling to Seoul for major cultural events such as the upcoming BTS concert.
Fans traveling across continents
The concert is drawing fans from around the world, many of whom have traveled long distances to attend the performance in Seoul.
“I came from the United States mainly to see BTS perform,” said Joanna Zhao, who traveled to Korea with her fiancé. “I’ve been a fan for years but never had the chance to attend a concert before.”
Zhao said she plans to stay in Korea for two weeks after the concert, including a visit to Busan, the hometown of BTS member Jungkook.
“I love the ocean, and I know there are many BTS-related photo spots in Busan,” she said.
Her fiancé, Kevin Liu, said the scale of the event was both exciting and somewhat intimidating.
“I’m a bit nervous about how many people will gather in such a tight space,” said Liu, a software engineer visiting from the United States. “But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to attend such a global event.”
Fans from other parts of Asia are also making the trip.
“Listening to BTS in Korea just feels different,” said Takuya Yamamoto, who traveled from Sendai, Japan. “The atmosphere here makes their performances more powerful.”
Preparing for a city-scale gathering
Local fans say they expect the event to transform the normally historic and political center of Seoul into a massive gathering of music fans.
“Concert days in Seoul are always extremely crowded, so I’m a little concerned about how things will work on the day,” said Kim Beom-jin, a fan from Gyeonggi Province who plans to attend the performance with friends.
Authorities say preparations are underway to ensure the event proceeds safely despite the unprecedented scale.
Government officials have emphasized crowd-control planning and emergency response measures ahead of the concert as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather in central Seoul.
For now, however, signs of the coming surge are already visible across the city center.
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