CJ ENM to halt filming dramas, shows

By Dong Sun-hwa

tvN's variety show “Seoul Bumpkin” will stop filming until Aug. 31 due to the coronavirus. Courtesy of tvN

Entertainment behemoth CJ ENM ― which owns multiple channels including tvN, OCN and Mnet ― will temporarily halt shooting some dramas and entertainment programs due to a flare-up in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Korea.

“Following negotiations with production subsidiary Studio Dragon, CJ ENM decided to stop filming tvN and OCN's dramas from Aug. 24-31 for the safety of the cast and crew,” the company said in a statement, Saturday.

It added, “If there is a change in the air date of TV series like tvN's 'Flower of Evil' and OCN's 'Missing: The Other Side,' we will let you know. In the case of tvN's 'Stranger' and 'Record of Youth,' the entire filming had already wrapped up, so they are set to go to air as planned.”

tvN's variety program “Seoul Bumpkin” will also halt the filming until Aug. 31, and Mnet's music show “M Countdown” will not be broadcast live next week.

“Other entertainment programs are also adjusting production schedules and if not, are being produced under quarantine guidelines,” CJ ENM said. “We will continue to pay close attention to the situation and make full preparations for safety.”

On Sunday, Korea's daily new virus cases spiked to 397 and the country's total caseload increased to 17,399. The number of daily infections has been in the triple digits since Aug. 14.