Recording of Terrestrial Music Broadcasts Without Live Audience Due to Spread of Novel Coronavirus

As the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) spreads, terrestrial public broadcast programs have decided to proceed with broadcasts without live audiences this week. KBS's 'Music Bank,' MBC's 'Show! Music Core,' and SBS's 'Inkigayo' announced on the 30th that their live broadcast stages scheduled for the 31st and the 1st and 2nd of next month will be held without audiences. Since the 28th, terrestrial broadcasters have operated temperature detection cameras targeting audiences during recordings of some entertainment programs and encouraged the use of hand sanitizers and masks. However, with additional confirmed cases reported on that day, they decided not to admit any audiences at all. Terrestrial broadcasters also conducted some broadcasts privately or canceled recordings during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015. These broadcasters are monitoring the occurrence of additional confirmed cases and the guidelines from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are considering applying this policy to other public broadcast programs.