"ARMY, Gather" – 24,000 Fans by Noon, From Safety Fences to Metal Detectors [BTS Comeback]

[Financial News] Fans of BTS (Bangtan Boys), known as "ARMY," began flocking to Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the afternoon of the 21st, where the group’s comeback concert is scheduled for 8 p.m.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, around 22,000 to 24,000 people had gathered near Gwanghwamun and Deoksugung Palace by around noon. That is a 91.9% increase from three hours earlier.
Real-time crowd density was still at the "low" level. It is expected to rise to "moderate" from 1 p.m. and to "slightly crowded" from 2 p.m.
Security around the square is being further tightened in anticipation of even larger crowds.
Safety fences have been installed over a 1.2-kilometer north–south stretch from the area facing the Gwanghwamun Woldae to City Hall Station on subway Lines 1 and 2, and across a 200-meter east–west section. The main stage was inspected by a police special operations unit for possible explosives.
Police officers and event staff in fluorescent vests were deployed throughout Seoul Plaza, around Sungnyemun Gate (Namdaemun), and near Cheonggyecheon Stream to manage pedestrian traffic.
Security checks were carried out at 31 gates that people must pass through to cross the square.
Along the wall of the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Korea, a barricade of police buses was set up. Pedestrian access is completely blocked on the sidewalks in front of the embassy and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History.
Traffic controls are also set to be further strengthened from this afternoon. Sejong-daero has been fully closed since the previous night. Sajik-ro and Yulgok-ro will be closed from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Saemunan-ro and the Gwanghwamun Underpass will be off-limits from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. On the subway, trains on Line 5 will pass through Gwanghwamun Station without stopping from 2 p.m., and trains will skip City Hall Station and Gyeongbokgung station on Line 3 from 3 p.m. Depending on crowd levels, trains may also bypass nearby stations such as Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station on Line 2.
The government has set up an on-site situation room at Government Complex Seoul and is monitoring crowd density in real time.
chord@fnnews.com Lee Hyun-jung Reporter