SEOUL(The Korea Herald/ANN): As K-pop supergroup BTS wrapped up its comeback concert on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, the event left behind not only excitement among fans but also a broader debate over crowd control, public disruption and allegations of excessive state mobilisation.
“Why are they checking everyone who isn’t even attending the concert?” one user wrote on social media platform X. “Isn’t this a nuisance? People who have no idea what’s going on must be shocked.”
Others defended the heavy precautions as necessary to prevent accidents.
“How can anyone say that after what South Korea went through with the Itaewon crowd crush?” another X user wrote. “What if the authorities had done nothing, allowed people to gather in huge numbers, and then an accident happened? Who would have taken the blame?”
Faulty crowd projections fuel criticism
Local police adopted what they described as a “complete seal-off” plan based on projected attendance. The authorities and organisers estimated that as many as 260,000 fans would gather and prepared to manage crowds across a 2km stretch of central Seoul, from Gwanghwamun Square to Sungnyemun.
Organisers later said about 104,000 fans actually attended, while city data puts the number much lower, at around 48,000.
The discrepancy prompted criticism that the authorities had mobilised an excessive number of personnel based on inflated projections. According to officials, about 6,700 police officers and 10,000 public officials were deployed for the event. BTS agency Hybe also hired more than 4,800 safety personnel.
The scale of the mobilisation also raised questions about the use of public money and possible safety gaps elsewhere.
Based on average overtime pay for public officials, conservative estimates suggest overtime wages related to the concert may have cost taxpayers an additional 400 million won (S$340,000).
Local media also reported that the fire authorities brought in emergency vehicles from neighbouring regions, including Incheon, Gyeonggi province and Gangwon province, raising concerns that those areas could face slower emergency responses.
But the fire authorities denied allegations that more firefighters were dispatched to the BTS concert than to the factory fire in Daejeon on March 20.
The National Fire Agency said 733 firefighters were dispatched in response to the Daejeon fire, which killed 14 and left 60 injured, adding that the 200 firefighters mentioned in media reports were just those deployed in the earliest stages of the incident.
Meanwhile, the Korean Government Employees’ Union criticised what it called a growing practice of mobilising large numbers of public workers for private-sector events.
“Mobilising large numbers of public officials even for events run by private companies amounts to an abuse of administrative power,” the union said. “Excessive reassignment can lead to gaps in public services and worsen working conditions for civil servants.”
Questions over public inconvenience and rights
Others said the restrictions felt excessive for people who had visited the area for reasons unrelated to the concert.
In an unusual move, guests attending weddings at venues near Gwanghwamun were reportedly required to board police buses and be shuttled to the wedding halls. Some alleged that their belongings were searched once they were on board.
There were also accusations that the event infringed on freedom of expression exercised through rallies and protests. The police issued restriction notices for assemblies that were taking place in the square area from July 16 to the day of the concert.
The event also disrupted nearby businesses and office workers. Many employees in the area were reportedly asked to take a vacation on March 20, while some merchants said road closures kept customers away.
“They blocked off all the main access routes, so customers didn’t even try to come,” one merchant said. “Far from coexistence, it felt like even our right to make a living was under threat.”
Supporters say caution was warranted
The government, however, said the measures were unavoidable given the risk of large crowds and broader security concerns.
“Given the global profile of the performance, there was a strong possibility of a large influx of overseas visitors, and in (the) light of the recent international situation, we also needed to prepare for unexpected scenarios such as terrorism,” said an official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
“The fact that the event concluded without a major accident was the result of pre-emptive safety management.”
Some also argued that the public money spent was minor compared with the wider economic impact BTS concerts are believed to generate.
According to an analysis by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, a single BTS concert can create as much as 1.2 trillion won in economic impact.
Experts noted that the police and Seoul city’s decision to impose sweeping access controls around the concert appeared to be shaped in part by lessons from the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, with the authorities preparing crowd management systems to prevent bottlenecks or crush-like situations in areas of high concentration.
That context also shaped public opinion online, where many said it was better to err on the side of overreaction than risk another preventable disaster.
A father who said he had attended the concert with his daughter, a BTS fan, wrote on an online community that safety should be handled without compromise, even if the response seems excessive.
“Didn’t we learn from the Itaewon crowd crush? Safety must not be compromised and must be ensured even if it means excessive measures,” he said.
RM, BTS’ leader, also thanked the authorities and local residents after the event.
In a Weverse live stream, he said: “I bow my head in gratitude (to public officials) for working to ensure that the concert remained safe, without accidents, despite the huge crowds.
“I also sincerely apologise to and thank the citizens who endured traffic controls, small inconveniences and noise, as well as the merchants and office workers in the Gwanghwamun area.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
