BTS comeback concert: Know before you go

Tourists and residents walk near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Sunday. BTS is scheduled to hold its comeback concert at the site on March 21. (Yonhap)

Authorities in Seoul are preparing extensive security and traffic measures ahead of the BTS comeback concert set for March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square. It’s the first time since the 2002 and 2006 World Cups that more than 200,000 people are expected to gather for a cultural event held in the Gwanghwamun area. Here’s what visitors should know.

Entry

Seoul plans to block off the Gwanghwamun area with fences and set up 31 designated gates to control entry and exit like a stadium. This means access to the viewing area stretching from Gwanghwamun to Seoul City Hall will be limited to the gates around the square and nearby Sejong-daero.

Security

Metal detectors will be installed at all gates, and bag checks will begin at 7 a.m., March 21. Authorities are asking visitors to bring minimal belongings. Police will also deploy teams to monitor surveillance cameras and will install barricades and police buses to prevent vehicle attacks. The city government plans to install 2,399 public and portable toilets around the event area.

Graphics by Yoo Doo-ho/The Korea Herald

Crowd control

Police will monitor crowd density in real time and may restrict entry if the area becomes too crowded. Most buildings surrounding the viewing zone will be shut down to prevent people from accessing rooftops.

Traffic

Roads around Gwanghwamun — including parts of Sejong-daero, Sajik-ro, Yulgok-ro, Saemunan-ro and Jongno — will be closed in stages.

A section of Sejong-daero between the Gwanghwamun and City Hall intersections will be closed from 9 p.m. on March 20 until 6 a.m. on March 22. Closures will also take place on nearby roads, including Sajik-ro and Yulgok-ro from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on March 21, and parts of Jongno and Saemunan-ro -- specifically between the Four Seasons Seoul and Seorin Intersection -- from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the concert evening.

After the show

To prevent congestion after the concert, police said they will work with organizers to guide spectators to nearby subway stations in stages. Authorities may request trains to pass through busy stations — including Euljiro 1-ga Station on Subway Line No. 2, Jonggak Station on Subway Line No. 1 and Anguk Station on Subway Line No. 3 — without stopping if crowds become too dense. For more information, visit www.seoulmetro.co.kr.

Police also said officers will be pre-positioned in areas such as Itaewon, Hongdae and Seongsu-dong in case concertgoers move there after the event.