BTS Concert Three Days Away... Police Mobilize All Resources Including Drone Response

by Oh Jieun

Published 18 Mar.2026 17:29(KST)

Updated 19 Mar.2026 13:40(KST)

open/close

Stadium-Style Crowd Control and Deployment of Metal Detectors

With just three days left until the BTS comeback concert scheduled for March 21 in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul, police are making every effort to ensure safety management by deploying drones, metal detectors, and other security measures.

At a press briefing held at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno-gu, Seoul on March 18, a police official stated, "Given that this is a large-scale event taking place in an open urban area, we plan to divide the area into four zones, organizing crowd control in an integrated manner from the center of the concert venue to its periphery." The official added, "In light of incidents such as the Itaewon tragedy, we will do our utmost to prevent safety accidents," and emphasized, "Given the escalating situation in the Middle East, we will also respond to potential terrorist threats."

Jungbo Park, Chief of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (left), and Chulhee Lee, Chief of Jongno Police Station in Seoul, are overlooking the Gwanghwamun area where the BTS concert venue is located from the rooftop of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 18th. Photo by O Ji-eun

On this day, Jungbo Park, Chief of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, personally patrolled the Gwanghwamun area to conduct a final inspection related to the concert. The inspection was joined by Chulhee Lee, Chief of Jongno Police Station in Seoul, representatives from the event organizer, and others, who checked the stage installation, restricted access zones, and the on-site command system. Chief Park sequentially inspected the stage, entrances, and zones equipped with integrated response equipment, and then reviewed crowd management routes and potential congestion areas from the rooftop of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. He subsequently visited the on-site command center installed on Sejong-daero to be briefed on preparations for safety management.

The police plan to divide and manage the concert venue area into four main zones—Core Zone, Hot Zone, Warm Zone, and Cold Zone—along with 15 sub-zones, depending on the density of the crowd. On the day of the concert, nearly 7,000 personnel, including 72 mobile units, are expected to be deployed. In addition, the 'stadium-style crowd management method' will be applied, allowing entry to the center of the venue only through 31 designated entrances. The police intend to connect metal fences based on these 31 entrances to establish crowd control lines, creating a space that can accommodate up to 100,000 people within the controlled perimeter.

On the 18th, a high-altitude observation vehicle equipped with four CCTV cameras was stationed next to the on-site command center installed on Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by O Ji-eun

In particular, at each entrance, approximately 80 walk-through metal detectors (MDs) will be operated, with one to four detectors per entrance depending on the expected number of attendees. The police estimate that up to 57,000 people per hour can be screened through this process. Before the MDs are operated, members of the police SWAT team will conduct searches of individuals inside the crowd control lines using handheld scanners.

On the day of the concert, an integrated solution vehicle for anti-terrorism will be deployed to detect and identify unauthorized drones. On the south side of the venue, both a high-altitude observation vehicle and an on-site command vehicle will be stationed. According to the police, the observation vehicle will be equipped with monitors to view CCTV footage and a device capable of 30x magnification.

Additionally, anticipating a large turnout of foreign visitors at the concert, the police will assign 43 officers proficient in foreign languages. Instruction manuals will be distributed to checkpoint personnel to ensure they can explain procedures in English.