South Korea locked down the heart of Seoul on Saturday for the comeback concert by Kpop boy band BTS as authorities geared up for nearly 260,000 fans to gather on the streets, as per media reports.
Set to take place in the capital’s iconic Gwanghwamun Square, the one-hour-long special concert aims to celebrate the release of the group’s first new album in more than three years and their upcoming global tour in April.
The special event will be streamed live on Netflix for global audiences.
“The City of Seoul will do its best to make it flexible - to make (the performance) both safe and enjoyable,” said Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday as he checked safety measures put in place, as per Reuters.
Seoul is set to host the event nearly four years after a stampede killed Halloween celebrators in the city’s Itaewon nightlife district.
According to Reuters, Seoul police have shut streets and erected fences as well as metal detectors around the square, which sits to the south of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. They have also said they will jam signals of any unauthorised drones.
The Seoul government, BTS' management agency HYBE and other organisations involved in the event have also deployed a combined 8,200 personnel to manage the crowds who had already begun to gather on Friday.
The Seoul government has also set up medical stations and made 2,551 toilets open to the public.
The concert is set to start at 8pm KST (4.30pm IST). The organisers of the concert have reportedly given away 22,000 free tickets. However, the area will be open to non-ticket holders, who will be able to watch the performance on Netflix via giant screens.
Netflix and HYBE on Saturday took down restrictions on media coverage of the show, greenlighting longer audio or video footage of the performance but still restricted live-streaming by the media.
Released on March 20, BTS’s new album Arirang marks the group’s comeback since the 2022 anthology album Proof. The new album, named after Korea’s most popular folk song, includes 14 tracks.
The tracks include titles like Body to Body, Hooligan, Aliens, FYA, 2.0, No. 29, and the lead single SWIM. Other songs include Merry Go Round, NORMAL, Like Animals, they don’t know ’bout us, One More Night, Please, and Into the Sun.
The album’s title is a reference to Arirang, a centuries-old Korean folk song with thousands of variations that is often regarded as Korea’s unofficial national anthem.
Recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage by both South and North Korea, Arirang draws on the Korean concept of han, a layered emotion of sorrow, longing, collective grief, resilience, and hope.
Through its themes of separation, loss, perseverance, and love for the nation, the song represents a cultural touchstone for Koreans across generations.
Following the concert, BTS is set to embark on a world tour on April 9, kicking off at Goyang Sports Complex near Seoul. The tour will span 34 cities with 79 shows — breaking records for the largest in K-pop history. It will also feature a 360-degree stage design.