Downtown Seoul to enter security lockdown for massive crowd at BTS concert

▲ Preparations are under way for K-pop group BTS' comeback concert in central Seoul on March 19, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ Preparations are under way for K-pop group BTS' comeback concert in central Seoul on March 19, 2026. (Yonhap)

BTS concert-security

Downtown Seoul to enter security lockdown for massive crowd at BTS concert

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- Police commandos and barricades will be deployed across downtown Seoul this weekend as authorities brace for one of the largest-ever crowds for K-pop group BTS' comeback concert, officials said Friday.

BTS is set to perform at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday to mark its return after a four-year hiatus, with up to 260,000 people expected to fill the area stretching from the main stage to Sungnye Gate, over a kilometer away.

It would mark one of the largest crowds in the area since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, when around 200,000 to 250,000 people gathered to cheer for the home team.

As fans and visitors are expected to flock from across the world, authorities are on high alert, with plans to deploy about 15,000 personnel for safety management, including some 6,700 police officers.

Police plan to operate tactical teams to respond to drone threats, while triple-layer barricades will be installed around the concert site to ward off potential terror threats.

Concertgoers will have to go through metal detectors, with police planning further checks with handheld detectors. Those without identification could be asked for their resident registration numbers or fingerprints.

Traffic near the area will be restricted, with subways scheduled to pass Gwanghwamun, Seoul City Hall and Gyeongbokgung stations without stopping from 2 p.m. Saturday until after the concert at 10 p.m.

Subway lockers at 17 stations, including Gwanghwamun and Gyeongbokgung, will not be available on Saturday out of concerns of possible terror activity.

Rescue authorities plan to set up three medical stations near the concert site, while concert organizers plan to separately operate 11 medical booths.

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