Chile’s Carabineros National Gendarmerie unit on Thursday praised Chilean fans of South Korea’s superstar boy band BTS for the “exemplary” behavior exhibited at the band’s concert in the South American country this week.
The gendarmerie emphasized that the peaceful and orderly development of the massive concert should serve as an “example” for other events.
BTS returned to Chile after nine years as part of its Arirang World Tour, holding the first of three planned concerts on Wednesday at the National soccer Stadium in the Santiago commune of Ñuñoa.
The long-anticipated series of concerts prompted the Carabineros to launch a social media campaign in advance with security recommendations including, but not limited to, awareness on how to ensure the safety of children attending the event and how to safeguard phones, documents, and other personal belongings.
Speaking to the Chilean news channel Teletrece on Thursday, Marcelo Araya, the director-general of the Carabineros gendarmerie, praised BTS fans — or ARMY, as they like to call themselves — for sporting “exemplary” behavior throughout the concert.
Araya detailed that, based on the gendarmerie’s estimations, the concert had a turnout of over 76,000 attendees. Araya noted that an event of that magnitude required an important security deployment for the gendarmes while also maintaining its regular security duties at the Chilean border, roads, and communities.
The official detailed that Chilean BTS fans organized, collaborated, “and even participated” in security meetings for the event, noting that the boy band itself “recognized” the respectful behavior exhibited.
“They [the fans] didn’t go there to cause trouble; they didn’t go there to disrupt the event, perhaps out of eagerness to see their idols, and they were extremely respectful. Today, I believe the news surrounding the concert is purely musical,” Araya said. “It’s high-quality artistic news in which the audience enjoyed themselves, sang, and danced, and it’s not a police story.”
“I think this is a tremendous example that many other events, especially sporting events, should follow,” he continued. “Enjoy a show peacefully, but don’t disrupt the normal course of events or the behavior of hotel guests or the general public.”
BTS, after holding its first of the three planned concerts in Chile, took a break on Thursday and will return to the National Stadium on Friday and Saturday for the other two planned concerts. Director-General Araya called upon fans of the South Korean boy band to maintain the same orderly conduct in the upcoming concerts. Teletrece pointed out that Chilean BTS fans had taken to social media in recent days urging fellow fans to abstain from engaging in any act of harassment against any of the band’s members.
While the BTS concert took place in a peaceful and orderly manner, its organization was not without controversy.
Chile’s National Sports Institute (IND) had initially refused to grant permission to use the National Stadium for the concert, effectively suspending the three concerts this year. At the time, IND reportedly justified its decision by noting disagreements with the event’s producers, as the event required the installation of several tons’ worth of equipment — including a “360-degree scenario” used by the band in its international shows. The initial refusal led to protests from Chilean BTS fans in early July, who demanded that the government of conservative President Jose Antonio Kast allow the concert to take place.
Ultimately, the Chilean Sports Ministry announced days later that the IND had granted the required permissions after the producers agreed to comply with the institution’s technical conditions and demands. According to Chilean outlets, the IND had expressed concerns and objections to allow the concert citing the possibility of damages to the soccer stadium’s infrastructure, particularly its grass. The producers reportedly modified the plans and submitted all required documentation that corroborated full compliance, including the installation of a special cover and other protective measures for the grass.
The controversy ultimately led to the resignation of IND’s director, Lorena Castillo, who left her position shortly after BTS was officially allowed to hold its three concerts at the National Stadium. In that same month, Chilean President Kast made mention of BTS’ cultural impact and large fanbase in the country in remarks alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during Lee’s official visit to Santiago.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.