On the 19th, at a bakery cafe inside the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul. In front of the cafe stood an A-board with a purple background, the signature color of BTS.
Store manager Yun Ye-rim, 23, said, "Among the seasonal menu items, there was a 'suga chewy cookie,' and since there is also Suga among the BTS members, we decided to sell it again," adding, "We came up with the idea and made a promotional A-board with purple."
As BTS is set to hold a comeback concert for its fifth studio album, "Arirang (ARIRANG)," at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the 21st, the area has turned purple. With about 260,000 people expected to swarm in, businesses are moving quickly to secure more customers.
Restaurants are rolling out products tailored to BTS' fandom, "Army (ARMY)." One restaurant said it "wishes BTS success as a global artist," switched its indoor lighting to purple, and prepared a nacho menu with purple elements.
Store owner Mun Sang-gi said, "We made purple T-shirts for the staff to wear and produced about 1,000 norigae to match the album Arirang," adding, "With the BTS concert drawing global attention to Gwanghwamun, I wanted to contribute in some way."
There are cafes selling coffee topped with purple flowers, sushi restaurants preparing sushi with sauce made from purple sweet potatoes for the concert day, and restaurants planning to offer 1,000 bowls of Pyeongyang cold noodles for free on a first-come, first-served basis.
One cafe was selling ice cream made with the purple "lavender." A person surnamed Song, 66, who came to the cafe to buy lavender ice cream, said, "My whole family is Army," adding, "As a fan, I'm very happy to enjoy products like this timed to the comeback concert."
The Gwanghwamun branch of Kyobo Book Centre set up a section from the previous day introducing books recommended by BTS members. A hanbok lending shop near Gyeongbokgung Palace also began selling BTS merchandise.
Convenience stores hung banners reading "Welcome Korea" or placed balloons in stores that said "Welcome ARMY."
Since the previous day, media poles on Myeongdong Street have been showing videos welcoming BTS and Army. From 7 p.m. on the 20th, a "BTS Gyeongbokgung special film" will also be released on media walls around Gwanghwamun Square, including the Koreana Hotel. The video will play at 5, 25, and 45 minutes past every hour until midnight on the 21st.
However, there are concerns that as traffic around Gwanghwamun Square will be controlled on the concert day, the number of customers may not meet expectations. An employee of a bar in Mugyo-dong, a person surnamed Kang, 57, said, "We prepared three to four times more ingredients than usual, but since we're in an alley, I'm worried not many will come."
Sejong-daero (Gyeongbokgung Palace to City Hall), where seating for the BTS concert will be installed, will have restricted traffic from 9 p.m. on the 20th. On the concert day, Sajik-ro, Yulgok-ro, Saemunan-ro, and Jongno near Gwanghwamun Square will also be controlled in sequence. Nearby subway stations—Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamun, and City Hall—will skip stops, and bus routes will be detoured.
Alert levels are also being raised in preparation for safety incidents. The government elevated the terror alert level around Gwanghwamun Square from "attention" to "caution." On the concert day, the crowd disaster risk alert will also be at the "caution" level. The National Fire Agency issued "Special Vigilance Duty No. 2" and is checking ambulance travel routes and more.