'PSY The Water Show 2022' cancels performance in Cheongju

“PSY The Water Show 2022,” by singer PSY, canceled its performance for Cheongju, North Chungcheong, after facing criticism for its waste of water. [MBC]

“PSY The Water Show 2022,” by singer PSY, canceled its performance for Cheongju, North Chungcheong, after facing criticism for its waste of water.

“The concert in Cheongju scheduled for Aug. 27 was canceled due to inevitable reasons,” PSY uploaded on his Instagram Thursday.

"Although many people in the region supported the event, I’m sorry to say that the show was canceled," he said.

The show has received backlash since last week after it was revealed that each concert uses approximately 300 tons of water, sparked by the singer’s comment on MBC’s talk show “Radio Star” saying that it was “all drinkable.”

The criticism is largely due to the fact that Korea has been going through a severe nationwide drought since spring. Korea currently is short on water for agricultural and industrial use. Some also voiced concerns as to how preventive masks would be used at a water festival when the coronavirus is still at large.

However, specific reasons regarding the concert’s cancellation were not revealed.

Regarding the issue, Ko Jae-young, a spokesperson for Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, indirectly referred to the issue in a press briefing Thursday, saying that “wet masks can lead to dangers of the propagation of germs” and that “masks will need to be changed” at appropriate times.

When the press asked whether or not the festival violated governmental preventive measures against Covid-19, Ko replied that the agency “needed to check again.”

The show is still scheduled for other regions such as Seoul; Suwon, Gyeonggi; Gangneung, Gangwon; and Yeosu, South Jeolla.

The first “Water Show” will kick off at the Jamsil Auxilary Stadium in southern Seoul from Aug. 4 to 5, the first in three years since the annual summer festival was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. First held in 2011, the concerts are popular as the audience are doused in water while listening to music and can cool off in the hot Korean summertime.

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