K-Pop Industry In Mourning After Muan Plane Crash That Killed 179, New Releases Of BTS, Stray Kids, SEVENTEEN Postponed

After a dark day in Korea, the entertainment industry has come to a halt. This follows a devastating plane crash at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday. The Jeju Air-operated Boeing 737-800 tragically crashed while landing in the southwest county, killing 179 of the 181 passengers onboard. This marks South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster in nearly 30 years. In light of the catastrophe, major entertainment companies, and K-pop artists are pausing activities to honor the victims and their families.

The entertainment industry took a setback amid a plane crash tragedy

The tragedy has echoed in the K-pop industry as well with top artists and agencies halting promotional activities.

BIGHIT MUSIC, BTS' agency, announced the postponement of content planned for member V’s 29th birthday on December 30. In their statement, they expressed prayers and condolences for those affected by the accident, saying, “We pray for the souls of those who passed away in the aircraft accident and send our deepest condolences to the bereaved families.” 

They also requested an understanding of their decision not to release the scheduled birthday content. Similarly, Stray Kids delayed the release of the music video for “As We Are,” performed by Seungmin, from their latest chart-topping album HOP.

Will album releases get postponed till the mourning period?

SEVENTEEN’s subunit BSS postponed promotional content for their upcoming single Teleparty, offering condolences and promising to share a revised schedule soon. Girl group IVE paused their promotional activities on 29 and 30 December, despite a new single scheduled for release on 13 January. Their new album, IVE Empathy, is still set to launch in February. Although not officially confirmed, the mourning period might delay several K-pop releases, similar to the delays following the 2022 Halloween crowd crush.

The crash occurred when the plane, travelling from Bangkok, overshot the runway at Muan and exploded into flames. In response, South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, declared a national mourning period lasting one week.