TWICE, TXT, other K-pop groups reschedule releases post Seoul tragedy
Multiple K-pop groups have halted their music releases and comeback promotion schedules in light of the fatal crowd surge that shook Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday (October 29). As a crowd crush took at least 151 lives, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol issued a period of national mourning. Accordingly, schedules lined up by K-pop acts like BTS, TWICE, TXT, and Mamamoo have undergone halts.
What had happened on that fateful evening?
On Saturday evening, the Itaewon district of Seoul witnessed a large crowd crush as several people began pushing each other forward in a narrow alley. Reportedly, this happened after people heard that an unidentified celebrity was visiting a bar. Nearly 1,00,000 people attended the first major Halloween celebration since most COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in the Korean capital city, Reuters reported.
What's a crowd crush; what happens during such incidents?
During a crowd crush, people are packed in a confined space and keep pushing, causing the crowd to fall in a "domino effect." The Itaewon incident took place in a sloped alley, making it harder for people to get up. In crowd surges, people's lungs do not find enough space to expand and the cause of death isn't crushing but suffocation, experts say.
Here's how crowd surge is different from stampede
In contrast to a crowd surge, a stampede usually denotes there is space for people to run. An excitable crowd runs in an uncontrollable fashion, maybe to run away from something, thereby causing a chaotic situation. This space isn't available in crowd crush incidents.
BTS Jin, TWICE announced halt in activities, releases
The incident that's being regarded as the most fatal peacetime disaster in the nation's history has paused the Korean entertainment industry. BTS's Jin postponed the release of his solo single The Astronaut's lyric video; JYPE announced the postponement of TWICE's Online Hi-Touch event; the premiere of TOMORROW X TOGETHER's dance practice video was canceled. The 2022 Busan One Asia Festival was called off, too.
HYBE, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment rolled out agency-wide postponements
Apart from BTS and TXT's schedule changes, their agency HYBE also postponed its HYBE Briefing With the Community conference, originally scheduled for November 4. SMTown Wonderland event was canceled by SM Entertainment, one of the oldest and most famous entertainment agencies in the country. Another big company, YG Entertainment detailed temporary postponement of its content release schedule for its artists.
