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Seoul Raises Alert and Details Security Plan for BTS’s Gwanghwamun Comeback on March 21

Officials are bracing for a crowd near 260,000 by mobilizing a large, stadium-style operation at the open-air site.

Overview

  • The prime minister’s office elevated the terror alert in Jongno and Jung to the “caution” level through Saturday as a precaution for the event.
  • Authorities will deploy roughly 6,500–6,700 police, 803 firefighters and about 8,200 city safety staff, with 31 walk-through metal detector gates and random bag checks.
  • Measures include sealed ventilation shafts, vehicle barriers, drone-detection units, rooftop and building access restrictions, and targeted road and transit controls.
  • Police estimate around 260,000 people could gather around the venue, compared with about 20,000–22,000 ticketed attendees, with density-based entry controls along Sejong-daero.
  • BTS urged fans to follow on-site guidance and thanked safety workers; the free concert will stream live on Netflix to roughly 190 countries as the group returns with ARIRANG before launching a world tour next month.