TV shows, musicals canceled as casts, crews test positive for COVID-19

Actor Jung Il-woo, who was planning to host a live episode of “SNL Korea” season 2 on Feb. 5, has tested positive for COVID-19. Courtesy of Coupang Play

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, TV shows and musicals have been forced to cancel or be put on hold this week, as a number of cast and crew members have tested positive for COVID-19.

Many familiar actors, singers and comedians have openly shared their positive COVID-19 test results to encourage others to stay safe. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Korea's daily COVID-19 cases recorded 27,443 on Thursday.

Season 2 of Coupang Play's “SNL Korea” canceled its Feb. 5 show after a crew member tested positive for the virus. Actor Jung Il-woo, who was planning to host the show's live episode on Feb. 5, also revealed that he had contracted the illness despite being fully vaccinated.

“We have decided to cancel the upcoming show and conduct additional testing of the actors and crew involved to prevent further harm,” the production team said in statement.

KBS paused the production of the upcoming drama “Red Single Heart,” after a crew member and a cast member both tested positive for COVID-19.

MBC's “Omniscient Interfering View” production team announced that former basketball star Seo Jang-hoon will replace comedian Yang Se-hyung and presenter Jeon Hyun-moo, who have also caught COVID-19.

Yang decided to step back from hosting the show after testing positive for COVID-19. Although the comedian recovered, he chose to self-isolate for the next few days to reduce potential transmission. Jeon reportedly got a positive test from a rapid self-testing kit and then conducted a PCR test on Friday.

Actors Park Kang-hyun, left, and Oak Joo-hyun / Korea Times file

The musical industry is also on high alert due to infections among their casts and crews.

Singer-turned-musical actor Oak Joo-hyun was confirmed to have been tested for the virus on Thursday after she preemptively underwent a PCR test. The musical “Rebecca,” in which Oak is currently starring, was forced to cancel its performances until Feb. 6.

Earlier this week, actor Park Kang-hyun also tested positive for COVID-19. Performances of the musical “Hades Town,” in which he is starring, will be canceled for the rest of the week. According to his agency, Light House, Park initially tested negative after visiting a place affected by the virus on Jan. 28 but then tested positive days later.

“Park didn't have any symptoms before contracting the virus and is currently undergoing a week-long home quarantine,” Park's agency said.

Another musical actor, Lee Choong-joo, who has been performing in “Something Rotten,” also tested positive for COVID-19. The actor revealed that he had tested negative initially, but developed symptoms later. The musical has canceled all shows until Feb. 6.

“Lee had very mild symptoms and will be fine due to being fully vaccinated. We will do our best to help our artist recover from the virus,” said Lee's agency, C-Jes Entertainment.