Korean boy band EXO was scheduled to hold its concert entitled "EXO Planet #3-The EXO'rDIUM" on Dec. 17 at the Nanjing's Olympic stadium. However, this will not happen next weekend because the concert was abruptly canceled.
SM Entertainment, the band's agency, decided to move the "EXO Planet #3-The EXO'rDIUM" concert at a later date but it did not offer clear explanation as to why the event has been postponed. All that the agency said was that the Chinese promoter requested the rescheduling of the performance.
The hold up happened amid China's sudden issuance of restriction for Korean celebrities. They have been banned from working in the region thus, it is highly possible that this fallout between Seoul and China prompted the promoters to postpone the EXO concert.
It can be recalled that Seoul decided to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense on the Korean Peninsula and China despises this decision. THAAD is an anti-ballistic missile defense system that was approved by Seoul in order to protect the Koreans and US forces in case the North Koreans launch an attack.
However, China disapproves because it believes that the U.S. defense on the Korean grounds will allow in-depth military surveillance that will weaken the security of both China and Russia. The conflict is escalating and obviously, it has greatly affected the Korea's entertainment sector as well.
The Chinese government issued ban on Korean celebrities who are coming in to perform. Local broadcasting networks were also ordered not to air Korean TV shows, films and dramas. On top of this, Korean stars were replaced by Chinese actors in a number of advertising campaigns, Korea Times reported.
Chinese fans of EXO expressed extreme disappointment after it was announced that the "EXO Planet #3-The EXO'rDIUM" is not pushing through as scheduled. But fans are hoping that the concert will still happen soon, especially because Akdong Musician was allowed to hold a show in Shanghai on Nov. 22.
Finally, representatives from SM Entertainment relayed that the agency is in the process of setting a new date for EXO's concert. "We will reschedule the event as early as possible after consulting with the organizer," the rep told Yonhap News Agency by phone.
Watch the "EXO Planet #3-The EXO'rDIUM" concert teaser below:
