'Street Man Fighter' Seoul concerts postponed until next year

A scene from Mnet's ″Street Man Fighter″ [MNET]

Following the government's announcement that the country will observe a mourning period until Saturday following the Itaewon tragedy that left over 150 dead, a highly anticipated "Street Man Fighter" concert that was slated to take place this weekend in Seoul’s KSPO Dome has been postponed until next year.

The dance crews currently featuring on Mnet’s “Street Man Fighter” were to set off on a national tour, starting with two concerts in Seoul on Nov. 5 and 6 at the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul, followed by shows in eight other regions in Korea — Gangneung, Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, Changwon, Busan, Incheon and Suwon.

However, CJ ENM, the organizer of the shows, announced Monday, that to pay respect to the casualties who died over the weekend in Itaewon, central Seoul, the shows in Seoul will be postponed from Nov. 5 and 6 to Jan. 7 and 8. The venue and time will stay the same.

“Please keep the tickets if you want to still come to the show,” CJ ENM said in a statement. A full refund is possible for those who can't make it to the show due to the changed dates.

The show in Gangneung, which were to take place on Nov. 12, has been canceled.

“We are sorry about the cancellation. It was inevitable because of the changed dates,” the organizers added.

"Street Man Fighter" is a spin-off of the hit dance competition show "Street Woman Fighter," which aired from August to October 2021. The show got high ratings and is considered to have shed light on street dance, a once-obscure genre in Korea.

All eight crews from the show — Bank Two Brothers, Eo-Ddae, project dance crew Mbitious, YGX, 1Million, We Dem Boyz, Just Jerk and Prime Kingz — will participate in the upcoming national tour. They will showcase performances from the program as well as newly choreographed dances.

The final round that picks the winner — the Street Man King — was scheduled to air on Mnet on Tuesday evening, but Mnet also decided to postpone that until after the mourning period.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]