K-pop top awards show skips Hong Kong due to protests - source

CJ ENM

11/11/2019 11:10

By Ju-min Park
    SEOUL, Nov 11 (Reuters) - An annual K-pop festival is not
happening in Hong Kong this year due to months-long political
unrest, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on
Monday.
    Hong Kong has hosted the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA)
since 2012, where top K-pop artists including global phenomenon
boyband BTS performed for years. In previous years, tens of
thousands of K-pop fans packed stadiums in Hong Kong for the
awards.
    The move follows a number of organisers delaying or
cancelling sports, concerts and other events due to the
pro-democracy protests. Hong Kong's premier women's tennis event
planned for October was postponed. The city's soccer matches
were also postponed.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N26P2SD urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2640M7
    Hong Kong police shot and critically wounded a protester and
a man was doused with petrol and set on fire on Monday as the
Chinese-ruled territory spiralled into rare working-day violence
in its 24th week of unrest.    
    "This year, after internal discussions, the MAMA organizer
decided not to hold the event in Hong Kong because of the
protests," the source said.
    South Korea's CJ ENM Co Ltd  035760.KQ , the show's
organizer, told Reuters in a statement that Hong Kong had not
been chosen as the event's venue, considering "various
circumstances," without elaborating.
    The music awards will take place in Nagoya, Japan on Dec. 4,
CJ ENM added.

 (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
 ((ju-min.park@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5650; Reuters
Messaging: ju-min.park.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))