[Itaewon Tragedy] Busan 'One Asia Festival' Abruptly Canceled on the Day... Other Festivals Also Announced Cancellations and Reductions

Memorial for Itaewon Tragedy Raises Concerns Over Safety at Large-Scale Events

On the 29th, personal belongings of the victims, including shoes, were placed at the site of the Halloween tragedy in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] In the aftermath of the Itaewon Halloween tragedy, a large-scale Hallyu festival scheduled to be held in Busan was canceled on the day of the event. Other festival programs were also scaled down. Autumn festivals planned as a tribute to the Itaewon tragedy and concerns about safety at events with large crowds are expected to be hit one after another.

In Busan, the Busan One Asia Festival, which was expected to attract about 40,000 attendees, was abruptly canceled.

On the 30th, Busan City announced the cancellation of the ‘Busan One Asia Festival K-POP Concert’ scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.

This year marks the 6th edition of the event, which had been canceled for the past three years due to COVID-19, and was scheduled to be held normally on this day. Thirteen top domestic singer groups were set to perform on stage, and various programs such as a drone show and fireworks show were planned to promote the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.

The cancellation of a large concert led by a local government on the day of the event is known to be due to the Halloween festival tragedy that occurred on the 29th in Itaewon, Seoul, ahead of the weekend.

The 16th Chaseong Cultural Festival, currently underway at World Cup Village in Gijang-gun, Busan, was also partially canceled. Gijang-gun announced on the 30th that all programs except for experiential learning programs would be canceled.

On the morning of the same day at 10 a.m., Gijang-gun held an emergency countermeasure meeting chaired by the county governor to urgently discuss festival operations in relation to the Halloween tragedy.

At the emergency meeting attended by County Governor Jeong Jong-bok, the Chaseong Cultural Festival Promotion Committee Chairman, the Gijang-gun Council Chairman, town and township heads, and related officials, it was decided to cancel all programs except for experiential learning as a sign of mourning for the Halloween tragedy in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

As a result, all performance events originally scheduled for the 30th, including the Gijang County Residents’ Art Festival, Youth Harmony Festival, and Busan MBC Gayo Best, were canceled, and only experiential learning events will operate until 5 p.m.

County Governor Jeong Jong-bok said, “I deeply regret making this decision as a sign of mourning for the tragedy,” and added, “I ask for the understanding of the residents who were looking forward to the festival and the event organizers.”

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