Seoul Launches BTS Concert Safety Headquarters... Oh Sehoon: "No Room for 1% Complacency"

Seoul to Deploy 3,400 Personnel for Crowd Management
Joint Safety Inspection Meeting Held for the Event
"Ensuring Every Attendee Returns Home Safely"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has ordered thorough safety management ahead of the BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) comeback concert to be held at Gwanghwamun Square, stating, "Facilities that we usually pass by without much thought, such as subway ventilation grilles or construction site barriers, can become hazards in front of a crowd of 170,000 people."

On the morning of March 9, Mayor Oh, together with local district offices, fire authorities, police, and other relevant agencies, reviewed the current status of safety measures. The city is operating the 'Citizen Safety Countermeasures Headquarters,' composed of eight working groups: ▲Situation Control Team ▲Traffic Countermeasures Team ▲Medical Countermeasures Team ▲Rescue and Emergency Team ▲Facility Management Team ▲Foreign Support Team ▲Monitoring Team ▲Administrative Support Team, with the head of the Disaster and Safety Office serving as the director.

Seoul City, in cooperation with local districts and fire authorities, will deploy over 3,400 personnel for on-site response. The event venue, major subway stations, and areas expected to be crowded will be subdivided into zones for real-time monitoring of crowd flow and potential hazards, aiming to prevent safety incidents through comprehensive on-site response.

The Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters will station 99 fire trucks and 765 personnel near the event venue—the largest deployment to date—to reduce response times in emergencies. The police will manage the crowd and prepare for potential terrorism threats.

In particular, police patrols will be strengthened in cooperation with the city to prevent accidents or congestion caused by people setting up tents or waiting for extended periods around the venue the day before the concert. Additionally, local districts will work to regulate street vendors. During the first safety inspection last month, 24 risk factors were identified at key facilities such as railings, stairs, structures, and ventilation grilles near the venue. These are currently being addressed, and a second inspection will be conducted before the event.

To minimize transportation inconvenience, subway trains will pass through Gwanghwamun, City Hall, and Gyeongbokgung stations without stopping, and the station entrances will be closed. Depending on the level of congestion, additional stations such as Euljiro 1-ga may also be skipped. Advanced safety inspections will be conducted at 17 subway stations in the area, and the number of safety management personnel will be increased from the usual 111 to 461 on the day of the event.

City bus routes passing through the area will either skip stops or be temporarily detoured. Illegal parking in nearby roads will be subject to special enforcement, and public bicycles and personal mobility rentals and returns will be suspended. After the event, to ensure safe returns home, 12 additional temporary subway trains will be deployed to stations near the venue on Lines 2, 3, and 5 from 9 p.m., with service frequency increased by 24 runs compared to normal days.

At the meeting, Mayor Oh stated, "Any area where people might climb or gather must be re-examined from an on-site perspective, and reinforcement measures must be taken as needed." He emphasized, "Accidents happen in moments when we let our guard down because we are familiar with the situation. We must remember that accidents always start with 1% complacency."

Mayor Oh also said, "We must prepare for the event considering the entire city center from Gwanghwamun to Seoul Plaza as 'one event venue.' It is not enough to manage just the area around the stage. Traffic management and crowd control must function organically as part of one system." He further requested, "It is also important to provide detailed guidance for foreign ARMY (the fan club name) visitors. Please inform them in advance about the information they need to download and deploy multilingual guides in key locations so that fans can return home with good memories."