BTS recently released their latest album after a hiatus of almost 4 years due to military requirements. After the release of ‘ARIRANG’ and their lead single, ‘SWIM’, the members gathered in Gwanghwamun for a live concert. Although the concert was a success, as security and fire personnel worked hard to ensure everyone’s safety, many numbers associated with the concert did not match.
Attendance estimates differ between BTS company data and government data
According to reports shared online by Naver, the attendance estimates for the concert have sparked a lot of debate online. Although BTS’s management company released an official estimate citing an attendance of around 104,000 people for the live concert, the government’s statistics varied wildly.
The report shared that according to official figures from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, around 46,000 people gathered at the time of the concert. Previously, the crowd was expected to reach capacity at 260,000.
One of the most protected and most secure events that BTS has done
The Gwanghwamun live concert, which can also be viewed on the Netflix OTT platform, was held in an open venue. To ensure everyone’s safety, the company did everything and even asked many officials to be on site in case something went wrong.About 15,000 police officers, civil servants and firefighters were deployed to the area long before the planned concert to ensure everyone’s safety. 31 doors with metal detectors and thorough checks were also planned to ensure everyone’s safety. Major roads near the area were blocked using barricades and police buses, and non-stop transit was also initiated at nearby metro stations to provide adequate transportation to the venue.The area was also set up with seating, standing and elevated areas for attendees to watch the concert. All those who could not see the boy band live, could also watch them on the big screens set up in the surroundings.
