Travel curbs on S.Koreans prompt K-pop cancellations, especially in Japan

JYP Entertainment

09/03/2020 08:01

SEOUL, March 9 (Reuters) - Japan's travel restrictions on
South Koreaans over the coronavirus epidemic have spurred
cancellations of a string of K-pop concerts scheduled in Japan,
threatening to hurt the Korean entertainment industry in its
most lucrative market. 
    Japan said starting Monday, people arriving from South Korea
will be quarantined for two weeks. Tokyo also suspended visa
waivers and the validity of existing visas for Koreans, followed
by a similar move by South Korea, rekindling a diplomatic feud
between the neighbours.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2AY02L
    South Korean boy band Super Junior called off its tours
scheduled to take place on March 25 and 26 in Japan, citing the
Japanese government's measures to "curb immigration." 
    South Korea's entertainment firm CJ ENM  035760.KQ  
followed suit, postponing its annual K-pop festival KCON in
Japan. KCON in Japan last year drew more than 88,000 fans,
according to CJ ENM. 
    Japan's travel restrictions are a fresh blow to the
entertainment industry in the wake of a fast-spreading virus.   
K-pop events have also been cancelled or postponed elsewhere in
the world because of the epidemic.
    Singer Taeyeon has cancelled her Feb. 1 concert in
Singapore, saying that she is worried about the health of fans.
    A Korean music festival in Los Angeles, originally planed
for April 25, was postponed due to "travel restrictions in
Asia."
    At home, boy band BTS canceled its scheduled April concert
in Seoul, amid growing concerns of the new coronavirus outbreak,
its music label, Big Hit Entertainment previously said.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2AS0OJ
    Japan alone accounted for more than 60% of South Korea's
music exports, marking $320.6 million worth of exports in 2017
followed by China and Southeast Asian countries, according to
Statistics Korea. 
    "Entertainment firms and talent agencies will now gird for
almost zero concert profits," said Lee Ki-hun, an analyst at
Hana Financial and Investment. "Not only ticket sales but also
advertisement revenues are gone for the time being," he said.  
    South Korea has suffered 51 deaths and 7,382 infections in
the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside China, where the
disease emerged late last year.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2B20OK urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2AZ0CJ

 (Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Raju
Gopalakrishnan)
 ((Heekyong.Yang@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 6936 1470;))