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South Korea's announcement of national mourning came after a Halloween celebration in Itaewon turned into a deadly tragedy that left 151 dead. Major entertainment companies and broadcast networks have canceled their shows scheduled for October 30 and 31, 2022, to empathize with the victims’ loved ones.
President Yoon Suk-yeol announced a period of national mourning from October 30 to November 5, 2022. The disastrous incident at Itaewon left a gaping hole in the country’s most vibrant district, which, at the moment, is filled with Halloween trash, ambulances, rescue workers, fire authorities, and panicked people.
In light of the tragedy, several K-pop companies have postponed releasing content. BIGHIT MUSIC posted a tweet notifying people about the cancelation of the new content release for BTS Jin’s The Astronaut while IRRIS and EXO’s Chen have delayed their album releases.
Entertainment companies, K-pop groups postpone broadcast and album release in light of national mourning for Itaewon victims
Multiple music programs, album releases, and new series content have been postponed in light of the Itaewon tragedy that occurred on the night of Saturday, October 29. The vibrant, bustling district suffered damage when a herd of people entered a four-meter wide narrow alleyway. As per reports, the narrow alley was quickly overcrowded, leaving no space for anyone to walk.
The Itaewon disaster has everyone up on their feet, and almost every major and minor entertainment company has postponed their schedules to show respect for the victims. Some shows that have been canceled are:
- SBS - Inkigayo, Animal Farm, Running Man
- tvN - Comedy Big League, The Game Caterers 2
- KBS - 1 Night 2 Days, Boss in the Mirror
- MBC - King of Masked Singer
Events such as the Halloween Strike Music Festival and the Busan One Asia Festival have also been canceled. Other Halloween festivals scheduled at amusement park Everland and celebrations in Hongdae district have put a lid on their plans as well.
K-pop agencies have also postponed or canceled their releases. TXT’s episodes for TO DO X TXT Ep. 95 and TXT-LOG IN US have been postponed until further notice. They have also canceled their Halloween Dance Practice release.
Joining BTS’ Jin, IRRIS, and EXO’s Chen, K-pop artists DRIPPIN and Junhyung also postponed their album releases. Jaejoong was also reported to have canceled his Japan concert just hours before it began after hearing of the Itaewon tragedy.
However, postponing or canceling events might not be feasible for some K-pop groups on tour. These include DREAMCATCHER, ATEEZ, and ONEUS. Fans reminded potential concert goers to be respectful about the kind of content they post on social media, especially during these times.
DREAMCATCHER notified fans of the continuation of the concert on October 30. However, they have changed the name from 'APOCALYPSE: BROKEN HALLOWEEN' to 'APOCALYPSE World Tour in Seoul.'
ONEUS also posted about the concert, giving fans directions about the traffic control around Itaewon. The venue for the group’s REACH FOR US concert is Mastercard Hall, Blue Square in Itaewon, which is approximately 10 minutes away from the location of the stampede, the alley near the Hamilton Hotel.
At the time of writing, KQ Entertainment has not given any updates regarding their October 30 concert.
Many raised concerns over the group’s not canceling or postponing the concerts. However, a few also commented on the massive financial loss that not only the agency would suffer, but other respective employees too.
The death toll rose to 151 and 82 people were injured, according to Yonhap News’ update at 5 pm KST on Sunday, October 30. The casualties included 20 foreign nationals.
Journalist Kelly Kasulis Cho reported that the police have identified over 90% of the bodies. Seoul officials have also received over 3,700 missing person reports.
The Itaewon stampede was termed the biggest tragedy after the 2014 Sewol Ferry Disaster that killed 304 people, including a majority of high school students.
