The South Korean Seoul metropolitan government on Jan 22 approved K-pop megastar BTS's request to hold a comeback show in the central Gwanghwamun Square on the condition it meets safety standards, Yonhap News Agency reported.  

The decision was reached at a meeting of a relevant advisory panel in response to a request from Hybe, the K-pop company behind BTS, and the group's label BigHit Music to allow the concert, "BTS 2026 Comeback Show @ Seoul", to be held in Gwanghwamun in March, the city government said.

The approval is conditional on safety conditions being met, including preventing overlaps in the exit times of performers and audience members and minimising traffic disruptions.

In addition, the city government plans to conduct thorough on-site inspections in advance against inflated hotel prices and other unfair business practices in neighbourhoods surrounding Gwanghwamun Square.

BTS will release its fifth full-length album Arirang on March 20, its first new album in three years and nine months since the anthology album Proof in June 2022.

Hybe has applied to host a concert for about 18,000 people at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, and another event for roughly 30,000 at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, according to city officials.

It would be the first concert by a single K-pop act at Gwanghwamun Square.

The city government said it plans to organise various programmes marking BTS's comeback on the day of the performance to be enjoyed by the group's fans and foreign tourists. – Bernama/Yonhap