Advertisement
K-pop group Twice cancel Christmas concert amid Covid-19 curbs in South Korea, other events postponed or in doubt – including world tours – amid Omicron variant’s spread
- NCT 127 perform in Seoul over the weekend, but Twice cancel one of three end-of-year concerts, another event is put off until March and others are in doubt
- South Korea imposed a curfew on concert venues in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, which could also impact band’s global tours
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
By Dong Sun-hwa
Some year-end concerts have been called off or postponed following the South Korean government’s announcement of stricter Covid-19 restrictions that took effect on December 18.
According to the new social distancing measures, which will be in effect until January 2, a 9 pm curfew will be applied to indoor sports facilities, where most major concerts in South Korea take place. In the case of other concert venues, they will face a 10pm curfew.
This led K-pop girl group Twice to cancel the first of their concerts in Seoul, the South Korean capital, scheduled for Christmas Eve at the KSPO Dome in Olympic Park. Given that the group’s concert was going to start at 7.30pm, they had no choice. But on Christmas Day and December 26, their shows will begin as planned at 6pm and 5pm, respectively.
“We inevitably decided to call off the Christmas Eve show due to the curfew,” the nine-piece act’s management company, JYP Entertainment, said. “But Twice [are] still planning to stage [their] concerts on December 25 and December 26. The final concert will be streamed online via the platform Beyond Live.”
JYP apologised and said it would provide ticket refund information soon.
Some year-end concerts have been called off or postponed following the South Korean government’s announcement of stricter Covid-19 restrictions that took effect on December 18.
According to the new social distancing measures, which will be in effect until January 2, a 9 pm curfew will be applied to indoor sports facilities, where most major concerts in South Korea take place. In the case of other concert venues, they will face a 10pm curfew.
This led K-pop girl group Twice to cancel the first of their concerts in Seoul, the South Korean capital, scheduled for Christmas Eve at the KSPO Dome in Olympic Park. Given that the group’s concert was going to start at 7.30pm, they had no choice. But on Christmas Day and December 26, their shows will begin as planned at 6pm and 5pm, respectively.
“We inevitably decided to call off the Christmas Eve show due to the curfew,” the nine-piece act’s management company, JYP Entertainment, said. “But Twice [are] still planning to stage [their] concerts on December 25 and December 26. The final concert will be streamed online via the platform Beyond Live.”
JYP apologised and said it would provide ticket refund information soon.
Apparently, many fans are disappointed.
“I am so sad to hear that,” one of them commented online. “What about a fan like me, who only bought a ticket for the first concert?”
“K-band, Spread Your Wings”, an event hosted by the Korea Association of Music Art, has been postponed until March as well. Korean bands, including Young Sound, were slated to perform in the concert at Shimsan Art Hall in southern Seoul on December 27.
“We were informed that we could not stage a live performance,” the association said. “We could only have an online concert, but we chose to push back the date instead, as the goal of our event was to meet the audience face-to-face to better deliver our music.”
Over the weekend, NCT 127 held three concerts in Seoul under the banner “Neo City: Seoul – The Link”, ahead of a planned world tour in 2022, although the future of that and other planned tours by K-pop groups will depend on the progress of the coronavirus pandemic in the coming months.
Over the weekend, NCT 127 held three concerts in Seoul under the banner “Neo City: Seoul – The Link”, ahead of a planned world tour in 2022, although the future of that and other planned tours by K-pop groups will depend on the progress of the coronavirus pandemic in the coming months.
Advertisement
Prior to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, South Korea was under a “Living with Covid-19” strategy. But now, everything has become uncertain.
“The shows set for this week and next week are pre-approved ones,” a KSPO Dome official said on Thursday. “But those which will take place in the following two weeks are less likely to receive approval from the authorities.”
“The shows set for this week and next week are pre-approved ones,” a KSPO Dome official said on Thursday. “But those which will take place in the following two weeks are less likely to receive approval from the authorities.”
Additional reporting by Post reporter.
Read the full story at the Korea Times
Advertisement