By Kim Se-jeong
The government plans to hold a large-scale K-pop festival next month in Seoul in an effort to revive local tourism in the aftermath of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
However, concerns are growing over whether the event will take place at all. Criticism has mounted that the government decided to host the festival without enough preparation or communication with relevant authorities.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Thursday, the festival is scheduled for Aug. 4 at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul. The ministry is working with the Korea Tourism Organization in laying out details and promoting the event overseas.
But the ministry and the KTO only started to discuss the event on July 6 and got the permission to use the plaza from the Seoul Metropolitan Government on July 17.
They also say they would have top K-pop stars performing; the online advertisement on the KTO’s website already highlights that the festival will feature high-profile groups.
However, as of Thursday, less than two weeks before the show, no definitive lineup has been confirmed.
“We’ll have a meeting about the lineup soon,” a ministry official said.
It is unclear exactly what groups will appear at the festival and how this will inspire foreign tourists to book a flight to Korea.
As the festival is focused on boosting tourism, the KTO is offering tickets for free from its website and anyone can download the tickets.
This has created more controversy as all foreign visitors are required to present ticket coupons for the festival, while Koreans do not. “It has nothing to do with discrimination. The purpose of the tickets is simply to keep a record of visitors who come,” said the official.
The organizers haven’t decided whether to apply the same ticket rule for foreign residents living in Korea. The decision will be made next Monday.
The MERS epidemic has caused many tourists to avoid Korea, hitting the industry hard. According to the ministry, 30 percent of K-pop events planned for June were cancelled because of MERS.