Following the Itaewon tragedy, the management of safety at large-scale events has intensified, with over 10,000 public personnel deployed during BTS's return concert. Despite assessments suggesting the need for extensive safety measures due to the event's nature, the actual attendance was significantly lower than predicted, leading to a debate on the appropriateness of the administrative effort and resources used. On the 21st of the month, approximately 3,400 public officials from various governmental departments, as well as nearly 6,700 police personnel, were mobilized, totaling over 15,000 personnel involved when including private security staff organized by Hive.

The authorities had initially estimated up to 260,000 attendees at the event, preparing for a potential large crowd based on the assumption of two people per square meter and other crowd density factors. However, the actual attendance was reported by Hive at 104,000 and by the city at 40,000, indicating a stark contrast to expectations and resulting in complaints among public officials regarding the accuracy of demand forecasting. A Seoul city official expressed doubts about the necessity of deploying so many public workers for a private event based on erroneous attendance projections.

The Seoul city government justified its involvement by classifying the event as a public safety management priority due to the large crowds expected in a busy urban setting. A representative emphasized that when an event spills over into city spaces, multiple issues concerning traffic, business, and safety arise, necessitating municipal intervention. They reiterated that safety management should be proactive rather than reactive and clarified that among the mobilized personnel, around 1,400 were actual public officials, with others being maintenance workers and volunteers, while the police's role was centered on controlling crowds and managing public safety incidents.