Seoul concert tour for 'Mr. Trot' canceled indefinitely

The final week of the Seoul concert tour of "Mr. Trot" was postponed indefinitely due to another surge in coronavirus cases. [MIN KYUNG-WON]

The Seoul concert tour for TV Chosun’s trot competition show “Mr. Trot” was canceled — again.

The concert tour production company Showplay announced that the final week of the tour at the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul, will be delayed indefinitely.

“We’ve decided to postpone the concert for the sake of people’s health and safety, when the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Seoul and metropolitan areas,” Showplay said.

Due to the explosive spike in the number of infections, the central government raised its social distancing level from Level 1 to Level 2, effective from Sunday. Public gatherings consisting of more than 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors are now restricted.

Realistically, however, the continuance of the concert was impossible as the Seoul Olympic Park in southern Seoul, where KSPO Dome is located, closed from Aug. 17 to 23 after an employee test positive for Covid-19.

The “Mr. Trot” Seoul concert tour was already postponed four times due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the district’s prohibition of public gatherings of more than 5,000 people. Showplay and the district had finally come to an agreement for the concert to go ahead under strict preventive guidelines set by the latter.

Ten concerts from Aug. 7 to 16 were hosted, and it was more significant as it marked the first large-scale stage concert to be hosted since the outbreak, giving hope for other production companies to possibly go ahead with their tours as well.

Due to another outbreak of virus cluster, however, that hope is being dampened again.

The go-ahead for the regional concert tour for “Mr. Trot” is also uncertain. On Wednesday, the Cheongju concert tour scheduled to be held at Cheongju University’s Main Complex Stadium in North Chungcheong was reported to be postponed indefinitely. It was supposed to be held on Aug. 28 and 29.

“We, the city and the production company, have arrived at this decision together after patients were discovered in the city as well,” the city said.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]