Korea's entertainment grinds to a halt in wake of Itaewon tragedy
1 Nov – K-pop giants are now postponing new releases following the tragedy that has befallen the country on 29 October.
Groups like BTS, Aespa, Twice, and several other K-pop artists are postponing album releases or cancelling their events in the wake of the fatal crowd surge that killed over 150 people in Itaewon, Seoul.
BTS' Jin, who was about to hold his Stationhead Listening Party and launch the lyric video for his latest solo single, "The Astronaut", has decided to postpone it. The same goes for TWICE's Online Hi-Touch Event and the premiere of Tomorrow X Together's dance practice video - the latter which has been cancelled.
On the other hand, big events including SMTown Wonderland event and Hybe's "Briefing with the Community" conference are also being delayed, while the 2022 Busan One Asia Festival has been cancelled.
At least 154 people died in the stampede that occurred over the weekend, when crowd of partiers, mostly clad in Halloween costumes, packed a narrow 3.2-metre-wide alleyway in Itaewon. It marked the deadliest crowd crush in the country's history.
President Yoon Suk-Yeol has also officially announced the mourning period from 30 October to 4 November following the Itaewon tragedy.
