On 21st March, globally recognised music group BTS played the first concert of their widely anticipated Arirang world tour with the aid of Showsec at Gyeongbokgung Palace, in Seoul, South Korea.

The tour marks the 7-member band’s return to the world stage after a 4-year hiatus and is South Korea’s largest public concert to date.

Strengthening our ties with Live Nation South Korea, Showsec operational management members Mark Thomas, Kayley Grieves and Stephen Dyker spent months coordinating with stakeholders and preparing for the monumental event.

On this collaboration, Kayley Grieves notes:

“Our work with Live Nation Korea continues to be extremely smooth. There is so much emphasis on organisation and compliance, especially with global consultancy projects.”

The event security protocol saw the closure of the main street, access to 31 buildings in the area, and the first closure of Gyeongbokgung Palace in the last several hundred years. Gyeongbokgung Palace served as the main royal palace during the Joseon Dynasty and welcomed nearly 7 million visitors in 2025.

With a turnout of 22,000 seated fans and an external crowd of over 150,000, it was essential for crowd management and event safety procedures to adequately cover every access point in and around the venue.

“We oversaw the queuing and wrist banding procedures over on Seoul Plaza, and the seated sections near the stage, plus monitoring external crowd dynamics. Researching and observing how crowd dynamics vary from country to country will allow us to improve our procedures across our portfolio of events.”

Mark Thomas, Showsec Regional Manager

This is not the first time Showsec has operated in South Korea, having provided international security consultancy for Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus Tour and Oasis in 2025.

Going forward, we hope to strengthen our global partnerships and continue to support the events industry worldwide.