SEOUL: The South Korean government announced on Wednesday (March 18) that it will raise its terror alert near the venue for K-pop boy band BTS’ comeback concert in Seoul.
The terror alert level in the capital’s Jongno-gu and Jung-gu districts will be raised from the lowest “attention” level to “caution”, the second-lowest in a four-tier system.
The pre-emptive safety measure will be effective for three days, from the early morning of March 19 at 12am until midnight on March 21.
The level of security and patrol at event venues or multi-use facilities in the designated areas will be heightened, and relevant ministries will strengthen their joint response system to deal with possible emergencies.
The office of South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stressed the pre-emptive state of readiness to ensure the safety of the public. It added that the possibility of a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out at events with large crowds such as BTS concerts.
Some 260,000 people are expected to gather at the concert venue in front of Gwanghwamun in Jongno-gu on March 21. - The Korea Herald/ANN
