Turning the Urban Jungle Into a Concert Hall... Seoul City Center Buzzes Over BTS Comeback

Turning the City into a Stage... "A New Milestone for K-Culture"
Overseas Fans Scout Prime Viewing Spots One Month Before the Concert
HYBE and Seoul City Push for Simultaneous Billboard Broadcasts

"Ticketing is a real bloodbath. I came all the way to Korea, so I couldn't risk going home empty-handed. I came in advance to mark spots where the electronic billboards are clearly visible."

On the afternoon of the 21st, about one month before the comeback performance of the boy group BTS, the temperature at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul was approaching 20 degrees Celsius, making it feel like early summer. Even hotter than the weather was the enthusiasm of international fans. Although about a month remained until the show, BTS fandom ARMY members from all over the world were already busy scouting the area.

Ahead of BTS Comeback Live: Arirang, set for the 21st of next month, plans are underway to transmit live footage of the concert to electronic billboards around Gwanghwamun. The red frame in the photo marks the electronic billboard on the KT Corporation building where the footage will be shown that day. Photo by Park Hosu

Seoul's city center is already buzzing ahead of the BTS comeback. Industry watchers say that whereas in the past the city served mainly as a space for cheering during events like the World Cup, this time it could mark a turning point for K-culture, with the city itself becoming the stage.

According to the performance industry on the 25th, BTS will hold the "BTS Comeback Live: Arirang" concert at Gwanghwamun Square on the 21st of next month. The core strategy of this performance is to go beyond the physical limits of Gwanghwamun Square and turn the entire city into one massive concert venue. HYBE, the group’s agency, is currently pushing a "simultaneous citywide broadcast" that links outdoor electronic billboards at major hubs around Gwanghwamun, including the Koreana Hotel (K Vision), KT WEST, the Dong-A Ilbo Building (Luux), and the Segwang Building (Lume Media).

Ticket reservations have been as fierce as an all-out war, but fans have voiced strong complaints about the seating chart. The stage is blocked in some areas by high-rise buildings, the King Sejong statue, and the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue. On top of this, fencing around construction for the "Garden of Gratitude" project being promoted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government has further narrowed the seating area, fueling fans’ frustration. As a result, fans are scrambling to secure "Plan B" options such as viewing from electronic billboards or nearby building views, which HYBE and the city of Seoul are working on as alternatives.

The area around the King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun is crowded with fans who came for advance scouting. The red border in the photo marks the large LED screen at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, which is expected to broadcast the live performance. Photo by Park Hosu

A tour of the Gwanghwamun area showed that even at Sejong-daero Intersection or near City Hall, which are somewhat removed from the central stage area, people will likely be able to enjoy an experience close to an in-person viewing through large electronic billboards. Chloe, a 24-year-old American fan encountered at the square, was busily checking viewing distances and angles to the billboards with her smartphone. "Getting one of the 18,000 tickets is close to a miracle," she said. "I’ve already marked the paving blocks where the billboard looks the biggest, and I plan to enjoy the live performance on the screen from there."

Nearby high-end hotels and restaurant districts are already a battleground. Hotels with a clear line of sight toward Gwanghwamun sold out as soon as the announcement went up, and restaurants in D-Tower with good billboard views, as well as nearby cafes, are being flooded with reservation inquiries. A representative of a Starbucks near Gwanghwamun said, "We have significantly increased available staff to prepare for the crowds on the day of the concert," adding, "We plan to operate as normal while taking every possible measure to ensure safety management."

Safety has also become a top-priority emergency issue. Up to 260,000 people are expected to gather on the day. The police plan to implement the highest level of security, including a full closure of adjacent roads such as Sejong-daero and the deployment of police special forces. A four-level crowd management system that analyzes congestion levels by zone in real time will also be activated. Among both domestic and international fans, there are calls for self-reflection, with people saying, "Let’s remember the Itaewon disaster and follow the safety guidelines thoroughly." The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts has canceled or started rescheduling its planned performances to ensure the safety of citizens and audiences.

Won Jongwon, a professor in the Department of Performing Arts and Visual Studies at Soonchunhyang University, said, "The BTS concert is a future-oriented paradigm shift that turns the entire city into a performance venue," adding, "It will be a symbolic event that proves the dynamism of the Republic of Korea to the world and a new milestone for K-culture."