8,200 Safety Personnel to Be Deployed for BTS Concert... Unprecedented Firefighting Force Announced

With only three days left until BTS’s concert at Gwanghwamun, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 18th that it had finalized its review of measures for crowd control and citizen safety.

On this day, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held the “5th Deputy Mayor’s Inspection Meeting for the BTS Comeback Event,” where it reviewed plans for crowd monitoring across the city, including Gwanghwamun Square, as well as the deployment of firefighting and safety personnel and emergency medical response measures.

On the afternoon of the 16th, ahead of BTS's full-group comeback performance, stage installation work was in full swing around Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2026.3.16 Photo by Yongjun Cho

On the day of the event, the city will set up an integrated on-site command post (CP) on the 4th floor of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, operating from 10 AM until the situation has concluded to coordinate the response. The command post will be led by Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs Kim Seongbo, and will include key officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Citizen Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the district offices of Jung-gu and Jongno-gu, police, fire departments, and the event organizers.

For safety management, a total of approximately 8,200 safety personnel will be deployed, including around 3,400 from the city, district, and fire authorities, and 4,800 from the event organizers. To prepare for possible disruptions due to a spike in communication traffic, 98 PS-LTE (Public Safety LTE) disaster safety network devices will be distributed to the site and related agencies.

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters will mobilize the largest firefighting force ever for event safety management, deploying 102 fire trucks and 803 personnel. Through a preemptive national fire mobilization order, 20 ambulances from other cities and provinces will also be stationed near the concert venue. In addition, the chiefs of the seven fire stations closest to the event site will begin shifts so that 38 vehicles and 138 personnel can be immediately dispatched if needed.

On March 16, 2026, a road closure notice was installed at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, ahead of the full-group comeback performance of BTS. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Meanwhile, the city is also providing multilingual information services for international visitors. Event information will be available in English, Chinese, and Japanese on the city’s website and event calendar. The “Seoul Event Tourism Guidebook” will provide safety information and cultural/tourism programs in seven languages. The Dasan 120 Call Foundation will increase the number of counselors for English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Mongolian, and both Seoul Tourism Organization guides and volunteer interpreters will be deployed on-site to provide assistance and interpretation.

Jung Sanghoon, Seoul’s First Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs, said, “We are closely examining whether the safety measures we have prepared through weekly inspection meetings are functioning effectively in the field. We will make every effort, from on-site safety management to providing multilingual guidance, so that every domestic and international visitor can enjoy a safe and joyful festival without a single injury.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.