South Korea’s capital city is preparing for nearly 260,000 people to gather in its historic centre when K-pop group BTS stage their long-awaited comeback concert in three weeks.
The outdoor concert is set to take place in Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square on 21 March, a day after the group’s new album, Arirang, is released. The concert will be livestreamed on Netflix.
Unlike stadiums and arenas that are typically used for K-pop concerts, Gwanghwamun Square is an open civic plaza in central Seoul, situated directly in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. One of the country’s most iconic public spaces, the square is used for national ceremonies, civic events, and protest gatherings.
The boyband, composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, was on hiatus since 2022 while the members completed their mandatory military service.
The new album release will be followed by a 82-show world tour covering 34 cities in 23 countries between April 2026 and March 2027.
The concert is free to attend but around 13,000 ticket holders will be admitted to a fenced core performance zone, according to BigHit Music, the Hybe subsidiary that manages the boy group.
Large screens will be installed in surrounding areas to accommodate fans without tickets to the central enclosure.
According to the state news agency Yonhap, police estimate the crowd around the performance stage to go up to 260,000.
Authorities will be deploying special police units and increasing counterterrorism measures around the square.
Officers will reinforce crowd-control operations and deploy additional security personnel, including specialist units, in anticipation of the large turnout.
“We are preparing based on the assumption that the maximum number of people could gather,” Park Jeong Bo, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said in February.
Police are also preparing for the possibility that fans without tickets may gather early or remain overnight in nearby streets.
Hybe is deploying around 3,500 personnel but may be required to boost their security preparations under South Korea’s “beneficiary pays” principle, which requires event organisers to be responsible for its management.
“Depending on conditions at the site, we may request even more additional safety personnel,” Mr Park said. “Large crowds could spill onto roadways, so we must prepare thoroughly to protect the public’s safety.”
The venue, police say, will be divided into four zones, with supervisors assigned to each for safety oversight. Violent-crime units will be stationed around the venue while a cyber security team will monitor online threats or hoax bomb alerts.
Gyeongbokgung Palace and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History will stay closed on 21 March due to the expected crowd. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and many other performance centres in the area are cancelling and rescheduled plays, musicals, and ballets.
The National Palace Museum of Korea, located next to Gyeongbokgung Palace, is considering whether to remain open.
Not just cultural institutions, even citizens are preparing for the concert. Couples with weddings scheduled that day are either rescheduling due to the anticipated congestion or requesting their guests to use public transport, according to The Korea Herald.
“We’re fully booked on March 21 from morning through the evening, and inquiries from brides and grooms have been pouring in,” a wedding planner said.
The concert is set to run for nearly an hour. “Given the large crowds expected at the event, we also considered post-concert public transportation and minimising late-night noise for the surrounding community,” Hybe said.
Fans began preparing for the concert as soon as BTS members hinted at their comeback in a New Year message. Fans from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, and the UK told the Korea Times that they had purchased tickets to Seoul at the time in anticipation.
“My mum and I had a long-standing agreement that we would make it to Seoul for the comeback, as it is such a significant event,” Wales resident Eleri Williams said.
While the city is stepping up its preparations to ensure the least amount of disruption, brands and commercial institutions around the area are moving to capitalise on the expected influx of visitors.
According to the Chosun Daily, nearly 1,500 rooms in five-star hotels within a 1km radius of the Gwanghwamun Station are fully booked for the day of the concert.
More than 100 convenience stores in the area are preparing for increased footfall from ARMY, the name used for BTS’s global fanbase.
The chain store 7-Eleven said staff fluent in foreign languages would be dispatched to around 40 sites near the venue and stock increased of items like banana milk and cup noodles, popular with overseas visitors, to levels up to 10 times higher than usual.
GS25 plans to display a traditional Korean liquor of which BTS member Jin is global ambassador.
The Seoul concert will feature the first live performances of tracks from the fifth BTS studio album, alongside songs from their discography. Hamish Hamilton, the director behind the majority of Super Bowl halftime shows over the past decade, will direct the broadcast, which is set to be the first live event from South Korea to be streamed globally.
A week later, Netflix will release the documentary BTS: The Return, tracking the group’s return to the studio and preparations for the concert in Seoul, from recording sessions for the new album to full-scale rehearsals.
Industry estimates project BTS to generate over $1bn in revenue on their comeback, combining ticket sales, merchandise, album purchases, licensing, and streaming.
