Gyeongbokgung Palace and the adjacent National Palace Museum of Korea will close on September 21 local time as K-pop group BTS stages a large-scale comeback performance in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun district, authorities said.
The Korea Heritage Service announced September 1 that the historic palace complex will be fully closed for the day, with parking facilities shut and public access completely restricted. The National Palace Museum of Korea, located next to the palace grounds, will also suspend operations during the event.
Officials said an emergency cultural-heritage response team will be activated to intensively monitor key areas including Yeongchumun Gate, Gwanghwamun Gate and Geonchunmun Gate. The agency cited heightened safety concerns as the concert will take place against the backdrop of major national landmarks, including Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamunand Sungnyemun.
In the week leading up to the event, authorities plan to coordinate with local police to reinforce emergency communication systems and conduct perimeter patrols. Inspections will also be carried out on palace walls and surrounding areas. Key buildings and facilities inside the palace complex, including restrooms, will undergo safety checks through the day before the concert.
On September 21, all palace entrances and parking areas will remain closed, with staff placed on full emergency duty. At Sungnyemun, pedestrian routes will be separated and additional safety personnel will be deployed to manage crowd flow.
A senior official said the performance is expected to serve as an opportunity to promote “K-heritage” to a global audience and pledged comprehensive safety management at every stage.
The agency added that, as visitor numbers to royal palaces and tombs continue to rise, it will replace aging surveillance cameras and expand on-site staffing, including safety managers and fire-response personnel. Following a recent incident in which foreign tourists assaulted a safety officer at Gyeongbokgung, officials said multilingual visitor guidelines would be strengthened.
BTS will release its fifth full-length album, Arirang, on September 20 local time and stage a live comeback performance the following evening in the Gwanghwamun Square area. The group is expected to begin against the backdrop of Gyeongbokgung, proceed past Gwanghwamun Gate and Woldae, and perform on a stage installed on the northern side of the square for approximately one hour, presenting new tracks alongside past hits.
The concert will be livestreamed globally via Netflix.
Police estimate that approximately 230,000 people could gather between the main stage and Deoksugung’s Daehanmun Gate, while as many as 260,000 are expected near Sungnyemun, where a separate media façade event featuring large-scale LED visuals will take place.
