As BTS holds a comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, nearly 10,000 public officials are set to be deployed for safety management and other reasons. While touting the event as a "festival" for citizens and people around the world, controversy over fairness is arising as Netflix, a paid video platform, has decided to carry the live broadcast exclusively.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and others on the 20th, BTS will hold a comeback concert for its fifth studio album "Arirang (ARIRANG)" on the 21st in the Gwanghwamun Square area of Seoul. To prepare for an expected crowd of about 260,000 people, roughly 9,900 public officials will be deployed.
◇ From police special forces to 100 ambulances mobilized
By agency, 2,600 people will be deployed from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Jongno and Jung district offices. Of these, about 520 will be Seoul safety monitoring personnel, and more than 200 will be cleaning staff.
Fire authorities will also be mobilized on a large scale. Eight hundred people will be deployed from the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and the National 119 Rescue Headquarters, and 100 pieces of equipment, including ambulances, will be stationed. Depending on conditions, officials are also considering deploying 50 more through the national fire mobilization order.
Police plan to deploy 6,500 personnel, including special forces. That is about twice the level of the Seoul International Fireworks Festival, a representative large-scale event. Some are calling it an "ultra-large security operation" focused on crowd control.
Traffic controls will also be extensive. City Hall Station on Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 2 and Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3 will pass through without stopping from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the 21st, and Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5 will also not have trains stopping from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Based on last year's Saturday figures, the average number of boardings and alightings at the three stations during those hours reached 116,500. Depending on the crowd, the no-stop hours could be extended.
Many bus routes will also be detoured. Sixty-two routes that pass through Sejong-daero, Sajik-ro and Saemunan-ro will be temporarily changed. The average number of boardings and alightings on Saturdays last month at bus stops between Gyeongbokgung and City Hall Station alone was about 34,000, and the number of citizens who will actually be inconvenienced is expected to be even higher.
Voices expressing inconvenience from citizens continued. An office worker, a person surnamed Kim, 32, said, "I canceled my weekend plans," adding, "It was hard to get around not only because of public transportation but also vehicle controls, and I was worried about safety."
◇ Counterargument cites Netflix's "global publicity effect"
As such large-scale public resources are being投入, controversy is spreading over the fact that the concert can only be viewed through Netflix.
The concert is hosted by HYBE and sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Netflix is said to have supported part of the production and marketing expense while securing the live broadcast rights. However, Netflix is expected to use the event to test the potential of a new business called "offline concert live streaming," while also reaping subscriber growth and advertising revenue.
A person surnamed Jeong, 37, met at Gwanghwamun Square said, "It's effectively an event that uses tax money, so I don't understand why we have to pay separately to watch it." A person surnamed Seo, 62, also said, "If the private sector does not cover the full square usage fee or police and fire expense, it should be made available for anyone in the nation to watch."
On social media (SNS), some compared it with Michael Jackson's 1999 concert in Korea. That concert was broadcast on TV. A person surnamed Kang, 31, who said they gave up on watching the BTS concert, said, "Even if you prioritize overseas broadcasts, it would have been better to air the concert on TV domestically."
The National Assembly also raised concerns. Regarding HYBE's exclusive live-broadcast deal with Netflix, some argued that it "restricts access to an event that uses public resources." HYBE responded, "We needed a platform capable of simultaneous transmission to 190 countries worldwide," adding, "To stably broadcast a concert that tens of millions of people access at the same time, a partner with the necessary technical infrastructure was essential."
On the other hand, there is a counterargument that the publicity effect from a large global event should be considered. An office worker, a person surnamed Kang, 31, said, "They say 50 million people around the world will watch, and creating such a big event costs astronomical expense," adding, "Even if some public funds were投入 in this BTS concert, the benefits could be greater."