![Police and government agencies said they will mount an all-out security operation ahead of BTS’ Gwanghwamun performance. [Photo=Yonhap]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/03/15/20260315132106717899.jpg)
Police, the Seoul city government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are preparing what they described as an unusually high-intensity joint safety operation for “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang (ARIRANG),” set for March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Organizers expect 22,000 audience members and as many as 260,000 people to gather that day, prompting authorities to mobilize broad anti-terror measures, including deploying police special forces, and to tighten on-site controls.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will move to a special alert posture, citing tense international conditions and the possibility of attacks driven by unclear motives targeting the public. Police plan to deploy 4,800 officers on the day of the event, use as much available special forces manpower as possible, conduct detailed pre-event searches across the venue and run an analysis-and-response team to address bomb threats.
Police said they will pursue detention-based investigations as a principle in cases of public intimidation such as false bomb threats that waste police resources, and will also seek civil liability for damages. Police buses and barricades will be installed around the site to prevent vehicle-ramming incidents, and door-frame metal detectors will be placed at 30 entry points to block dangerous items from being brought in.
BTS’ agency, HYBE, said it is also focusing on safety and security. Citing the risk of crowding at Gwanghwamun Square, the company decided to hold rehearsals in a separate, undisclosed location rather than at the venue. The move is intended to prevent crowd crush incidents during rehearsals and to reduce the risk of leaks of performance details, including the new-song set list. HYBE plans to deploy about 4,000 of its own crowd-control staff on the day of the show, bringing the total security and safety workforce to about 9,000 when combined with police.
Seoul officials are also preparing traffic measures. Depending on congestion, the city is considering having trains pass through Gwanghwamun, City Hall and Gyeongbokgung stations without stopping. It also plans to reroute some bus lines and temporarily suspend the public bike service, Ttareungi.
The culture ministry said it views the concert as a major test of efforts to curb ticket scalping and will deploy eight joint undercover enforcement teams with police at the site.
Authorities also plan to request investigations into accounts suspected of using macros to trade tickets, and to block unauthorized entry through measures including QR-code tickets that cannot be captured and tamper-resistant wristbands issued after identity checks. The government said it will maintain an emergency duty posture through the end of the event on March 21.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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