Reports say officers are in talks with the Seoul Metropolitan Government over administrative guidance measures to deter fans from seizing stretches of the plaza and surrounding pavements for extended periods before the show.
Police assess that ticketless fans will queue through the night to secure vantage points offering even a partial view of the stage, a concern amplified by estimates that the crowd on the day could swell to about 260,000 people — stretching from the plaza down to Sungnyemun.
The challenge, authorities said, is that overnight waiting in itself does not constitute a clear legal violation. Fans who remain on pavements or the plaza without blocking traffic cannot be cited under road traffic law or charged with obstructing public passage, nor can their presence be classified as an illegal assembly.
While Seoul city ordinances permit administrative guidance and fines for unauthorized occupation of public space, police official say officers would have no choice but to appeal to fans' goodwill, urging them to move along rather than resorting to force.
Police plan to deploy officers to patrol the area starting the day before the concert, and are conducting preemptive safety inspections of rooftops and ventilation structures on nearby high-rise buildings to prevent fall accidents from overcrowding.
Authorities are also moving swiftly against a wave of online ticket fraud, having flagged 81 suspected scam posts — many demanding fees of 150,000 won to 1 million won for proxy ticketing services — and requesting that the Korea Communications Standards Commission remove and block them.
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