"Festival Events Canceled One After Another Due to Spread of 'Shin-jong Corona' Cases... Direct Hit to Local Economy"

Seoul Followed by Confirmed Cases in Suwon, Jeju, and Jeonbuk Also Cancel or Postpone
Same Applies to Large Exhibition Halls

Cancellation notice of the event posted on the 'Tamna Kingdom Ipchun Gut' homepage. This event, which started in 1999 and is one of Jeju's representative spring festivals, has been canceled for the first time this year.

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee, Gwanju Lee, Byungdon Yoo] Due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), large exhibitions and other events with many attendees are being canceled one after another. In local areas, decisions to cancel or postpone winter festivals and other events are emerging, making it inevitable that the local economy will be impacted.

According to Seoul City on the 3rd, Assawin Kwanmuang, Mayor of Bangkok, Thailand, and the Bangkok delegation were scheduled to visit Seoul City on this day, but the delegation expressed their intention to cancel. They have indefinitely postponed the meeting, saying they will meet again once the situation calms down. It is known that 19 cases of novel coronavirus infection have been reported in Bangkok. In addition, about 20 events such as the 'Fine Dust EXPO' scheduled to be held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza and youth ski camps, as well as various briefings and meetings, have been canceled. Some Seoul City-sponsored events scheduled for the end of February have been postponed.

In Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, where the 15th confirmed case was reported, all education and events at local community centers have been canceled, and the Suwon Lifelong Learning Center will be temporarily closed from the 3rd to the 8th. Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young posted on his Facebook, "Except for very exceptional cases in the private sector, I hope that events involving a large number of citizens will be reconsidered." Goyang City, where the 3rd confirmed case was reported, as well as neighboring Paju City, also canceled New Year's Yutnori tournaments.

The situation is no different in non-metropolitan areas. Famous events are being canceled or postponed one after another. Cheonan City, Chungnam Province, and the Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Association canceled the country's largest Samiljeol (March 1st Movement) commemorative event, the 'Aunae Bonfire Festival,' scheduled for the 29th of this month. The Gwangju Gosamunori Preservation Society also indefinitely postponed the National Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 33 'Gosamunori' festival scheduled for the 7th to 9th. In Jeju, the 'Tamna-guk Ipchungut,' a spring festival representing Jeju that has been held since 1999, was canceled entirely for the first time. Yeongdeok County in Gyeongbuk, famous for its snow crabs, decided to hold the 'Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival' scheduled for this month in May instead.

Especially, local governments in Jeonbuk Province, where the first confirmed case outside the metropolitan area was reported, are under urgent pressure. Gochang County canceled the '39th Gochang Ogori Dangsanje' event scheduled for the 7th and indefinitely postponed the '28th Folk Grand Festival Folk Games' event planned for Jeongwol Daeboreum (the first full moon of the lunar year) on the 8th. Wanju County also canceled the Daljip Burning events scheduled to be held in five towns and townships on the 7th and 8th. Gunsan City, where confirmed cases were reported, canceled all local festivals and events including sports competitions, Jjaeboseonchang Insim Festival, and Jeongwol Daeboreum events.

Large exhibition halls are also suffering significant damage. The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) canceled 'SEMICON Korea 2020,' the largest global semiconductor exhibition in Korea, which was scheduled to be held at COEX in Seoul from the 5th to the 7th of this month. The organizer stated, "This decision was made following the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the novel coronavirus a global emergency." Although Lotte Duty Free COEX branch is running discount events, there are no customers. A Lotte Duty Free official said, "It is a situation of business suspension." Gyeonggi Province also temporarily postponed the 'Korea Basic Income Expo and International Conference,' which was scheduled to be held at Suwon Convention Center on the 6th. Sejong Center for the Performing Arts plans to allow ticket cancellations without fees due to concerns over the novel coronavirus.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.