Chilean police praise BTS fans for orderly behavior despite 15 arrests

While 15 people were arrested during security operations around the MUFGスタジアム in Santiago on the 17th, Chilean police praised the ARMY fandom for behaving excellently and maintaining public order during the BTS performances.

While 15 people were arrested in the vicinity of the BTS concert venue in Chile, local police focused their attention on the fans' sense of order. Amidst security operations conducted around the massive crowds gathered for the performances, a police official publicly praised the mature concert culture demonstrated by ARMY. Although the news of arrests might suggest a chaotic scene, local police offered unusual praise, stating the fandom "behaved excellently" rather than making the entire group an issue.

According to local media such as T13, Chilean police conducted security operations around the MUFGスタジアム in the capital, Santiago, on the 17th in connection with the BTS performances. During this process, 15 people were arrested, and more than 2,500 identity checks and vehicle inspections were performed. As large crowds gathered ahead of the performances by the globally popular BTS, police reportedly focused on maintaining site safety and order.

During a briefing that day, Alex Bahamondes, the head of the Chilean Police for the western metropolitan area, offered special praise to the fandom ARMY. "I want to highly appreciate and praise the behavior of ARMY," he stated, adding, "They behaved very excellently, and thanks to them, there were no problems with public order." Contrary to the news of arrests near the venue, the police official highly valued the orderly behavior shown by the fans and their cooperative attitude toward control measures.

Large-scale performances often face risks of safety accidents, traffic congestion, and site control issues because many spectators gather in one place in a short time. In particular, concerts by popular singers held abroad attract fans from other regions and even those crossing borders. In such situations, spectators cooperating with guidance and control and maintaining order plays a crucial role in smooth concert operations and ensuring safety. Bahamondes' remarks are interpreted as an assessment that the fans' behavior at the site positively contributed to maintaining public order, rather than just noting the existence of a large fandom.

However, not all 15 arrested individuals can be viewed as BTS fans or concertgoers. According to information released by local police, one person was arrested on fraud charges, but the specific reasons for the arrest of the remaining 14 are unknown. As the identities and circumstances of these individuals have not all been disclosed, caution is required not to link the arrests to the orderliness of the concertgoers or ARMY. Rather than criticizing the entire fandom, the police evaluated their mature behavior positively.

Positive feedback for ARMY also continued from local investigative agencies. The PDI publicly praised the cooperative attitude of BTS fans who underwent immigration inspections at airports and the borders of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. It was noted that fans who crossed borders to visit Chile showed an orderly appearance and actively cooperated with immigration procedures. As the global popularity of BTS extended beyond the concert venue to local airports and border regions, the behavior of the fans also drew the attention of local institutions.

The Chilean Police Band also extended special hospitality toward BTS. On the 16th, the band performed BTS's global hit "Dynamite" at a plaza near La Moneda Palace, the presidential palace. According to T13, a local police official explained that this performance was arranged to express gratitude for the orderly behavior of the audience attending the first BTS performances. It was a notable scene where the police, responsible for maintaining security, played the music of a famous singer to express their thanks to the fans.

As part of the world tour "ARIRANG," BTS held performances at the MUFGスタジアム in Santiago on the 16th and 17th, following a performance on the 14th. Although arrests and inspections took place amidst the large crowds, the official message from local police was directed toward praising orderly behavior rather than criticizing the fandom. With the public praise from the police and the special performance by the police band, not only the music of BTS but also the concert culture demonstrated by ARMY is drawing attention in Chile.

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