▲ Park Jeong-bo (R), chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, checks the stage for a free concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 18, 2026, as he conducts an on-site inspection of its preparations before the group's comeback concert at 8 p.m. on March 21. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
▲ Preparations for a free weekend concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul are underway on March 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) police-BTS concert

(LEAD) Police to set up crowd control zone for 100,000 people during BTS concert

(ATTN: ADDS details on city government measures, photo)

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, March 18 (Yonhap) -- Police said Wednesday they will set up a crowd control zone with a capacity of 100,000 people around the stage where K-pop group BTS will perform in central Seoul this weekend.

The zone will be set up so that no more than one person occupies every square meter, as safety is of paramount importance during the concert set to begin at 8 p.m. Saturday at Gwanghwamun Square, an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police told reporters.

Police expect around 260,000 people to gather in the area stretching from the square to Sungnye Gate, the largest number since the 2002 World Cup, when up to 250,000 people cheered in the streets.

Random checkpoints will be conducted on the day, with 72 teams of riot police and 35 teams of detectives deployed to the area.

Audience members entering the crowd control zone will be required to walk through metal detectors and undergo searches for hazardous materials.

"We decided to create the safest conditions possible given the nature of the event that can be attended by anyone in an open downtown area, and memories of the Itaewon tragedy," the official said, referring to the 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 people.

The Seoul city government, meanwhile, plans to set up an on-site headquarters near Gwanghwamun Square starting 10 a.m. on Saturday, comprising officials from the interior ministry, the ward offices of Jung and Jongno as well as police and fire authorities.

Some 8,200 personnel will also be mobilized to monitor safety circumstances in real time, according to the metropolitan government.

In preparation for possible accidents, medical booths will be set up in three different zones and safety fences will be installed in potentially high-risk areas near Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul Plaza and Cheonggye Plaza. The city government has also secured 2,551 toilet facilities near the concert venue.

To cater to foreign visitors, the city government plans to expand English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Mongolian language services at the city call center and dispatch volunteers and interpreters to the scene.

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