SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) -South Korea’s elite counterterrorism units are preparing for a mission unlike any other this spring: protecting not a summit, not a visiting head of state, but the global fan base of BTS.
On March 21, Gwanghwamun Square — framed by royal palaces and glass towers — will host the group’s first full-member comeback concert in nearly four years.
Police expect up to 260,000 people to converge on the historic plaza for what is already being billed online as “a royal return” and “the concert of the century", live-streamed worldwide through Netflix.
Separate from the worldwide tour, ticketing for the first-ever comeback show has been split to accommodate both the general public and dedicated fans, with free general-admission seats available on a first-come, first-served basis via Nol Ticket at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23.
Official fan club members can enter a global raffle through Weverse tied to purchases of the group’s fifth studio album, “ARIRANG.” Detailed booking instructions will be released on Feb. 20, with raffle guidelines due on Feb. 10.
Expecting an exceptional turnout for the unprecedented event, Seoul’s police force is mobilizing at near-national-event level, with bomb squads, special forces, cybercrime units and crowd-control commanders deployed across downtown.
It is deploying security infrastructure usually reserved for major diplomatic summits for K-pop.
With attendance projections rivaling major political rallies, police have divided the area into four layers: core, hot, warm and cold zones, further subdivided into 15 sections.
Each zone will be overseen by a senior commander. Special assault teams will be stationed nearby. Explosive-detection units will sweep the venue. Thirteen rapid-response crime squads from nine precincts will be on standby.
The free outdoor show, titled “THE COMEBACK LIVE: ARIRANG,” is being designed as more than a performance. It is emerging as a hybrid of concert, civic ceremony and global media event — staged at Gwanghwamun Square, with Gyeongbokgung Palace as its backdrop.
Rather than returning through a stadium tour, BTS has chosen the symbolic heart of Seoul — where royal processions once passed, presidents give speeches, and protesters gather.
According to officials and industry sources, organizers are considering a ceremonial entrance that traces the palace’s historic axis — beginning inside the royal compound and moving outward into public space — effectively transforming centuries-old protocol into modern stagecraft.
Event organizer and BTS agency HYBE has pledged to deploy more than 3,500 private security staff, but authorities have warned that more may be required under Korea’s “beneficiary pays” safety principle.
Large-scale gatherings in Korea have become politically and socially sensitive since the 2022 Itaewon tragedy. Crowd management is now treated as a matter of institutional credibility.
For BTS’s return, there will be no margin for error, said Park Jeong-bo, Seoul Metropolitan Police agency chief during a briefing Monday.
The police vowed to watch over online threats and ticketing fraud in real time.
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