The Truth About the 260,000 People Expected to Attend BTS’s Concert!

The actual number of attendees at BTS’s concert has left everyone stunned.

On the evening of March 21st, BTS held their BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG concert in Gwanghwamun Square – considered the “heart” of Seoul. This performance marked BTS’s grand return after a hiatus due to military service. Besides the live performance, the show was streamed live in 190 countries via Netflix.

Seoul authorities predicted up to 260,000 people would flock to the square for the concert and deployed approximately 15,000 personnel, including police, firefighters, and officials, to manage the crowd. However, the final attendance number surprised everyone. According to information from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, when the concert started at 8 PM, only 40,000-42,000 people gathered near Gwanghwamun and Deoksugung Palace. The congestion was classified as “overcrowded.” This number was significantly lower than the initial forecast.

BTS’s concert was spectacular…

…but only 40,000-42,000 people attended, far short of the previously predicted 260,000. Photo: Chosun

The venue had 22,000 seats, and entry had begun hours earlier. Spectators entering the main seating area had to pass through metal detectors and undergo body checks, while those in the surrounding area could watch even with tickets. Prior to this, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a “performance disaster” warning regarding the BTS concert. This warning was issued under the “Framework Law on Disaster Management and Safety,” and this was the first time a crisis warning had been issued for a concert expected to have such a large crowd.

Urgent news from BTS’s comeback concert tonight: One member suffered a leg injury requiring a cast and will have to perform seated.

On the day of the concert, surrounding buildings were closed, and traffic on Sejong, Sajik, and Yulgok roads was completely restricted. Saemunan Road and the Gwanghwamun tunnel were also closed from 7 PM to 11 PM. Subway and buses proceeded without stopping in the area.

Photo: Chosun

The city deployed up to 15,000 people for this event. Photo: Chosun

This has affected the daily lives of people in the area. On social media, many people complained about being affected in their work, weddings, and being subjected to strict searches “worse than martial law.” For more than half a month now, many people have spoken out, expressing their anger and calling HYBE and BTS “troublemakers.” According to them, BTS is wasting too much public resources and national tax money, affecting people’s lives. The group should hold concerts at a concert venue instead of “making a fuss” as if it were a national event.

The wave of outrage intensified when the actual number of attendees at the BTS concert was only 40,000, six times lower than initial predictions: “So all the fuss was just for this?”, “This is so embarrassing… How much trouble did you cause just for this?”, “They blocked everything off so people couldn’t even get in, that’s why it looked like this,” “Sigh,” “Putting everything aside, did they really need to search people and control traffic for such a large crowd?”, “They should have held it at a music performance venue instead of causing all this chaos,” “So this is the reason for all the fuss,” “It doesn’t look like 10,000 people at all,” “Is that all?”, “They used taxpayers’ money and caused all this chaos for this”…

Photo: Chosun

BTS faces criticism for holding a concert in a public square instead of a stadium, affecting people’s daily lives. Photo: Chosun