The capital of South Korea is preparing for what is arguably the biggest event of the year: the return to the stage of K-pop band BTS.
The BBC writes about this.
The concert will take place on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square. More than 260 000 people are expected to attend the concert, but most of them will watch through screens on the street: only 22 000 people were able to get free tickets to the concert venue itself.
In addition, the performance will be broadcast live on Netflix.
Three subway stations in the city center will be temporarily closed due to the concert, and access to nearby buildings will be restricted. 31 checkpoints with metal detectors will be set up at the entrance to Gwanghwamun Square.
The scale of preparations for the concert has made local residents worry about whether there will be too few law enforcement officers left in the city due to the police being pulled into the stadium and whether they will be able to get to another part of the city if something suddenly happens.
The day before the performance, the band also presented a video for the song “Swim” — this is the first joint work of the performers after completing their military service. The video was directed by Ukrainian Tanu Muino. The premiere took place along with the release of the new album “ARIRANG”.
- The South Korean band BTS was founded in 2013 and has seven members. Over the years, it has become popular all over the world and has received the status of a Korean “cultural ambassador”.
- BTS videos now have over a billion views. The band itself creates songs in collaboration with popular American and European artists such as Coldplay and Halsey.
- The band took a hiatus in 2022 as its members completed mandatory military service. They were demobilized in the summer of 2025.
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