BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Aespa, P1Harmony, Twice and several other K-pop artists have announced postponements or cancelations following a fatal crowd surge that killed over 150 people in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Saturday evening.
The neighborhood, known for its nightlife and entertainment, was heavily populated with party-goers for Halloween festivities. According to reports by the New York Times, the surge happened in an alleyway some 11 feet wide, which faced an overflow of on-foot traffic, causing a deadly compression of human bodies.
Witnesses also told the publication that they saw little to no crowd control or police officers in the hours leading up to the tragedy — which has now been deemed one of the deadliest peacetime accidents in South Korea’s history. Following the incident, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol issued a period of national mourning through Saturday.
The Korean-pop industry has honored the national halt with the announcement of numerous content and fan event cancellations. BTS’ Jin postponed his Stationhead Listening Party and the release of his lyric video for his latest solo single “The Astronaut”; Twice’s Online Hi-Touch Event has been postponed, and the premiere of Tomorrow X Together’s dance practice video “Eternally” was also canceled.
On the industry front, several events and conferences have been postponed or pushed back, including Sunday’s SMTown Wonderland event from SM Entertainment, which manages powerhouses like Aespa, EXO, Red Velvet and NCT. Hybe — the major label and management house behind BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Seventeen and more — has also postponed its 2022 “Hybe Briefing With the Community” conference, originally scheduled for Nov. 4.
Label and management company YG Entertainment (Blackpink, Big Bang, Winner, Treasure and more) also issued a statement on the temporary postponement of their promotion schedule and content release dates for their artists.
Additionally, the 2022 Busan One Asia Festival’s K-pop concert — which was scheduled to include performances from artists like Pentagon, Mamamoo and Golden Child — has been canceled.
Thania Garcia
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