No scribbling on palace walls or camping out on day of BTS show, heritage chief says

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No scribbling on palace walls or camping out on day of BTS show, heritage chief says

Published: 19 Mar. 2026, 17:37 Updated: 19 Mar. 2026, 19:34

JIN EUN-SOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

An exterior billboard near Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul on March 19 advertises BTS's comeback performance set for March 21. [KIM JONG-HO]

Korea Heritage Service chief Huh Min urged attendees of BTS’s comeback performance in Gwanghwamun on Saturday to behave orderly and show a strong sense of civic responsibility in protecting the multiple national heritage sites that will serve as the backdrop for the show.

"Scribbles on the walls," "damages to the giwa [Korean traditional roofs]," and "camping outside the palace" are some of the most-concerning factors among others, according to Huh who conducted an on-site safety inspection of the performance venues including Gwanghwamun Plaza and Sungnyemun on Thursday.

"A total of 71 personnel from the agency are taking shifts to monitor the heritage sites' safety 24 hours for the week," he said.

"We have multilingual agents that will guide the crowd and real-time monitoring system set up."

BTS's comeback performance scheduled for Saturday evening will unfold against Seoul's most symbolic heritage sites including Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun Plaza and Sungnyemun as a way of conveying a message about the group's roots and identity. With some 260,000 people expected to gather at the venue, concerns are growing over safety and possible damage to the heritage sites.

Korea Heritage Service Chief Huh Min, on March 19, speaks to the press in front of Gwanghwamun before conducting an on-site safety inspection of heritage sites set to appear as backdrop of BTS's comeback performance taking place on March 21. [KIM JONG-HO]

The septet is expected to make an appearance in front of Gwanghwamun and walk their way towards the main stage set up at the north end of the plaza. Celebrating the comeback, a media facade will be projected onto the walls of Gwanghwamun and Sungnyemun.

"What I am mostly worried about is the exterior of the Gwanghwamun wall when the venue gets overcrowded and everyone will want to secure a good spot for a nice view," Huh said.

The Korea Heritage Service said it has set up a situation room at the National Palace Museum of Korea inside Gyeongbok Palace to respond immediately to any incident that could cause damage. It has also expanded the number of patrol personnel near Sungnyemun by three times. Sungnyemun, Korea's National Treasure No.1, was destroyed almost completely in 2008 due to an arson attack.

HYBE said it has also deployed more than 200 patrol personnel near Sungnyemun for the media facade event.

"As the world turns its attention towards Gwanghwamun and Sungnyemun which are spaces that embody the soul of the Korean people, I hope visitors will also show orderly manners and a sense of civic responsibility in protecting our heritage," Huh said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a list of special programs in collaboration with state-run insititutions that the performance attendees can enjoy.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will run “MMCA: Meet the K-Art,” which offers free entry and English-language guided tours led by professional docents of permanent exhibitions. The program starts from Friday.

The National Folk Museum of Korea, located right next to the Gyeongbok Palace, is presenting a wide range of Korean cultural experiences under the theme “K-Culture Folk Traditions with BTS” from Friday through April 30, except Saturday.

The museum will provide exhibition docent program focused on artifacts that BTS members have shown interest in, including items such as sangyeo (bier decorations). The program is available in English, Japanese and Chinese.

Visitors can also take part in traditional games featured in the holiday episodes of BTS’s YouTube series “Run BTS!,” such as tuho (arrow throwing), paengichigi (spinning tops) and jegichagi (Korean shuttlecock kicking), at the K-zone outside the exit of Permanent Exhibition Hall 1.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]