Shinhwa’s member-turned-actor Kim Dong-wan was left speechless by the excitement surrounding BTS’s huge Gwanghwamun concert, expected to draw 260,000 people.
On the morning of the 21st, Kim Dong-wan shared the traffic paralysis around Jongno-gu and other areas of Seoul via his social networking service (SNS), saying he couldn’t hide his surprise. He said, "The crowd is so thick that you can’t even get a taxi anymore," adding, "It’s still strange, but it also feels oddly familiar that the reason the whole city is buzzing is because of our artist’s stage."
In particular, he praised the extraordinary scenes created by this concert, saying, "It makes me think of the intense atmosphere of the 1988 Seoul Olympics or the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup." As a senior in the music industry, he expressed his respect for the younger group that helped lead a national festival of such a grand scale. He also added heartfelt concern, saying, "With such a large number of people gathering, I hope today’s concert passes without any accidents or trouble."
BTS will hold "BTS Comeback Live: Arirang" in and around Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square at 8:00 p.m. that evening. With attention focused from fans around the world, a new song stage—including a new title track—will be unveiled for the first time.
The government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government projected that up to 260,000 people—an unprecedented figure—would flock to the event. In response, authorities have abruptly raised the terror alert level for areas around Jongno-gu and Jung-gu in Seoul from "Caution" to "Warning," starting at midnight on the day of the concert, putting every measure in place for safety management.
