COVID-19 has affected the South Korean entertainment industry badly and has led to a number of grand events being cancelled or held virtually. According to latest reports, SBS is reported to have cancelled its annual music festival Gayo Daejeon 2020. The year-end musical event is not likely to be held this year.
Though the news has not been made official, Ilgan Sports reported that the idol group managers have been informed about the cancelling of the grand event. Many other popular broadcasting channels are also yet to announce their year-end music programs for 2020.
2020 Super ON:TACT Concert Series
However, SBS has not altogether cancelled the event. Instead the idols will get a chance to take part in the extended version of 2020 Super ON:TACT concert series. It is the Kpop online concert currently planned for four nights. The concert will start on September 27 and will conclude on October 18. It is scheduled to be aired every Sunday at 8 p.m. KST.
It is not sure if this is the extended schedule where 13 Kpop groups will perform in four days or will the concert be further extended to make up for the cancelling of Gayo Daejeon program. Meanwhile reports also claimed that apart from COVID-19 situation, there was another reason for cancelling the SBS event. The channel is said to have decided to halt the program following the injury of Red Velvet's Wendy during the rehearsals for last year's event.
MBC, KBS Yet To Decide on Music Festivals
According to Koreaboo, SBS has not confirmed nor denied the news of cancelling the Gayo Daejeon event. "As of now, we have yet to decide whether to hold the Gayo Daejeon this year," SBS is said to have told.
This has left the audience with a question if MBC and KBS will organize its music festival s Gayo Daejejeon, and Gayo Daechukje, respectively. The annual events have never been cancelled so far. But with participation of a number of idol groups, rehearsals and organizing the show is a challenge in the time of COVID-19 pandemic, and the channels have not come to a decision on shows for this year yet.
Recently Mnet announced that it will hold Mnet Asian Music Awards [MAMA 2000] in December in Paju, South Korea. The event will be organized without audience in South Korea for the first time in 11 years.
