With an estimated 260,000 people set to converge on central Seoul this Saturday, Korea's cultural institutions are not standing on the sidelines. Museums, heritage sites and government agencies have all quietly repositioned themselves in the lead-up to BTS' first full group concert in nearly four years, turning the March 21 Gwanghwamun comeback into something bigger than a music event.
The Korea Heritage Service released a map this week showing exactly where BTS filmed their Netflix teaser scenes inside Gyeongbokgung Palace specifically at Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall of the Joseon dynasty and a designated national treasure. The teaser, which alternates between day and night shots of the members set against the palace's tiled rooftops and layered courtyards, was released two weeks before the concert's live broadcast date. It is not the first time BTS has used the historic site as a backdrop. In 2020, the group filmed segments at Geunjeongjeon and the nearby pavilion Gyeonghoeru for an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
Gyeongbokgung drew roughly 6.89 million visitors last year, but the Heritage Service clearly expects that number to climb this week. The filming location map functions as both practical guide and cultural invitation, pointing fans toward a part of Korea's history they might not have sought out on their own.
At the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Jongno, staff relocated a BTS exhibit from the fifth floor to a busier multipurpose hall on the third floor ahead of the surge. The display centers on a purple box the group presented to then-President Moon Jae-in at the National Youth Day ceremony in September 2020. It reportedly contains objects representing BTS' music, Korean youth and their global fan base. The box stays sealed until National Youth Day 2039.
On the merchandise front, the Korea Heritage Promotion Service is selling Arirang-themed goods at K-Heritage Stores inside Gyeongbokgung and the National Palace Museum of Korea through April 24. Items include handkerchiefs with Arirang motifs and keyrings shaped like the seosusang, mythical guardian animals that flank the restored platform in front of Gwanghwamun.
Separately, the National Museum Cultural Foundation partnered with Hybe on a collection through its MU:DS brand. The line features designs drawn from the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, a Unified Silla-era national treasure known as one of the finest bronze castings in East Asian history. Its lotus and celestial musician motifs now appear on bags, skirts and accessories, available from Friday.
On the night itself, several landmarks will close entirely. Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, the National Palace Museum, the National Folk Museum and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History will all shut their doors. Police will restrict vehicle traffic around Gwanghwamun from 9 p.m. on March 20.
For one weekend, the old palaces and the world's biggest boy band are pointing at the same place on the map.