The K-pop concert "Waterbomb Japan 2023," which was scheduled to be held in Osaka, Japan, was completely canceled after a staff member died during rehearsal.
On the 14th (local time), local media including NTV reported that a male staff member in his 40s died during a rehearsal for the "Waterbomb Japan 2023" concert held in Konohana Ward, Osaka City, that morning.
The man who was involved in the accident was reportedly struck in the face by water suddenly fired from a "water cannon" (a device that shoots water at 120 km/h) while looking into it, which was installed on the stage.
He was immediately taken to the hospital but was unconscious and ultimately died from a cerebral contusion (bleeding in the brain parenchyma caused by trauma or other impact).
Local investigative authorities are currently investigating the exact circumstances of the accident and whether charges such as involuntary manslaughter due to negligence at work will be applied.
Waterbomb Japan announced through its official SNS accounts on the same day, "A serious accident occurred during stage installation work for the 'Waterbomb Japan 2023' Osaka concert scheduled for the 15th and 16th," and stated, "Due to this accident, it has been determined that holding the concert is impossible, so the Osaka performance has been canceled."
They continued, "We deeply apologize to the audience and all related parties who were looking forward to the event and for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation notice just before the concert. We will take full responsibility for implementing measures to prevent such incidents from happening again."
Waterbomb is a festival combining water play and performances, which started with a concert in Seoul in June and was planned to be held in nine cities in Korea as well as Osaka and Tokyo in Japan, and Bangkok, Thailand. The Osaka concert was scheduled for two days on the 15th and 16th, featuring a large lineup of K-pop artists including Daesung, Park Jaebeom, Loco, Jessi, Nichkhun, and Jun.K.
Meanwhile, the Waterbomb festival faced criticism for a delayed response when it canceled the Gwangju Waterbomb concert last month just ten days before the event. At that time, there were concerns about water waste in Gwangju, where the worst drought in history had led to water usage restrictions, but the cancellation was announced only after a heavy rain warning was issued and a month’s worth of rain fell overnight across Gwangju.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
