With the confirmation that BTS will hold a free concert to mark its comeback at Gwanghwamun Square and the adjacent royal palace on March 21, attention is now shifting to how the K-pop megastars will use the historic backdrop for the spectacle.

Current predictions suggest a performance that dramatically fuses Korean traditional heritage with state-of-the-art stage production.

According to the music industry and Seoul city officials on Wednesday, discussions are underway for the opening sequence of “BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang,” which will begin at 8 p.m. on March 21.

The seven members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — are expected to appear from within Gyeongbok Palace's grounds and walk through Geunjeongmun and Heungnyemun Gates before exiting through the main Gwanghwamun Gate, according to the sources.

This scenario is supported by reports that the group has secured approval to utilize these three gates as well as the woldae, a restored ceremonial stage in front of the main gate, historically used by kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) for royal rituals and public encounters.

The sequence, mimicking a traditional royal procession, aims to create a grand entrance to the main stage, which will likely be constructed on the expansive lawn at the northern end of the square. It reportedly remains undecided whether this procession will be performed live or prerecorded.

Once onstage, the group is expected to perform with 50 dancers and 13 members of a traditional music troupe, reinforcing the theme of its fifth studio album, “Arirang.”

To further immerse the audience, a media facade featuring motifs of Korean traditional culture will be projected onto the walls of Gwanghwamun Gate during the show. Similar projections are planned to appear on Sungnyemun Gate on March 20, the day of the album's release.

The scale of the production matches the venue.

Organizers are preparing to accommodate 15,000 spectators in Gwanghwamun Square. The show could also be broadcast live on large screens for an additional 13,000 fans at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall and its adjacent intersection, though these numbers are subject to change for safety reasons.

Reservations for the free concert are expected to be available simultaneously on HYBE's K-pop fan platform Weverse and other ticketing sites.

However, observers predict that up to 200,000 people could flock to the area — far exceeding the official capacity — as fans without tickets could gather outside the designated zones.

As a result, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Wednesday its plans to take crowd control measures to ensure a safe environment, as congestion is anticipated in the central Seoul area on the day of the concert. The city added that it would continue to crack down on price gouging at accommodations, traditional markets and tourist-heavy spots.

This comes after multiple complaints surfaced online regarding several travel booking platforms' lodging prices in the nearby Jongo and Jung Districts, with prices climbing to as much as five times their usual rates for the night before and the day of the performance.

The concert will be directed by Hamish Hamilton, a British director famed for the Super Bowl halftime shows, and will be broadcast live on Netflix. It will mark the platform's first global livestream of a show from Korea, targeting 300 million users across 190 countries.

Following the spectacle, the documentary film “BTS: The Return” will air on the platform on March 27, detailing the band's creative journey behind “Arirang.”

The first new release from the group in three years and nine months, the 14-track album is set to drop at 1 p.m. on March 20.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE, YONHAP [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]