The South Korean government is implementing large-scale crowd management measures, including a preemptive "caution" level crisis alert for "mass gathering crowd disasters," ahead of BTS's comeback event.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 11th that it held an "Inter-agency Meeting on Crowd Safety Management for BTS Comeback Event" chaired by Minister Yoon Ho-jung. The meeting reviewed crowd accident prevention measures ahead of the comeback performance to be held in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul.
The event is expected to draw massive crowds, including approximately 22,000 domestic and international ticket holders. Representatives from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Seoul Metropolitan Government (Jongno-gu and Jung-gu), Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, and Seoul Metro attended to discuss their respective roles.
To heighten awareness of crowd density risks and strengthen inter-agency response capabilities, the ministry decided to issue a "caution" level crisis alert for "mass gathering crowd disasters" covering Seoul's Jongno-gu and Jung-gu districts from midnight to midnight on March 21. The ministry and police will form situation management teams, while local governments will operate rapid response units for emergencies, elevating monitoring and response systems.
The government will also conduct joint public-private safety inspections before the event. From March 19-20, a "Joint Government Safety Inspection Team" will examine overall safety management conditions including the stage, crowd flow routes, and surrounding traffic and facilities. Minister Yoon plans to personally visit the site to identify high-risk areas for crowd accidents.
A field situation room will be established at the Government Complex Seoul, utilizing disaster safety communication networks and group messaging to enable real-time sharing of event progress and crowd flow among agencies. Field situation managers from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will be dispatched to major crowd concentration points to support on-site crowd management.
Specific roles for each ministry and agency have been defined. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will provide performance safety consultation and inspect stage facilities and seating areas. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will pre-establish deployment systems for public health center rapid response teams and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) to prepare for emergency patients.
Police will focus on maintaining order and security around the venue and counter-terrorism activities. Fire services will deploy rescue and emergency medical personnel with ambulances on-site for rapid response to any incidents.
Seoul Metropolitan Government will activate its Citizen Safety Response Headquarters to verify implementation of safety management plans and support event operations including restroom facilities, foreign visitor guidance, and enforcement against illegal street vendors and parking violations. Safety alert messages in Korean and English will be sent to areas near the venue, and safety guideline videos will be displayed on large electronic billboards on nearby buildings to encourage orderly viewing.
The government plans to continue safety management measures for large crowd gatherings not only for this Gwanghwamun comeback event but also for BTS world tour concerts scheduled in Goyang in April and Busan in June.
Minister Yoon Ho-jung said, "With the whole world watching this event, I ask everyone to cooperate in maintaining order at the venue, demonstrating mature safety awareness with the mindset that each and every person is a protagonist of safety."