SEOUL, South Korea (CelebrityAccess) — Following a deadly crowd surge in South Korea’s capital of Seoul that left at least 156 people dead and more than 100 injured, multiple major live events in the nation have been canceled amid a period of national mourning.
Canceled events included the final day of the major K-pop music festival, Busan One Asia, which was scheduled to take place from October 27 to October 30th.
“The national period of mourning was declared following the tragic incident in Itaewon. Therefore, we are afraid to announce that the Busan One Asia Festival which was to take place in Busan has been canceled,” festival organizers stated.
Cancellations also impacted South Korea’s EDM-focused Strike Music Festival, with organizers canceling the final day of the three-day event.
“I can’t help express my sadness about the tragedy yesterday at Itaewon. Due to the period of national mourning, we have decided to cancel today’s Strike Music Festival,” announced Kim Eunsung, CEO of festival host BEPC Tangent.
K-Pop agency SM Entertainment canceled SMTown Wonderland, a Halloween event scheduled for October 30th and deleted all announcements about it, Billboard reported.
Other K-Pop agencies, including Hybe and YG Entertainment, also postponed upcoming events and content release dates including Hybe’s planned ‘Community Briefing’ which was scheduled for November 4th.
The period of mourning also impacted university weekend retreats known as MTs and a two week long holiday shopping period, akin to the United States’ Black Friday, has also been canceled, Reuters reported.
