Damage to Venue Facilities and Waste Disposal Issues
66 Confirmed Cases at Yeosu Performance
Foreign Worker Dies During Stage Dismantling Work
Audience members gathered at Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 15th of last month to attend singer Psy's concert 'Hmph Show'. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Gun-chan] The nationwide tour schedule of singer Psy's "Heumbok Show," held for the first time in three years, has come to an end. Although it was a commercial success, various controversies arose multiple times during the tour, including being pointed out as a major cause of the spread of COVID-19 infections.
Psy's "Heumbok Show" nationwide tour concluded on the 20th in Busan. Starting from Incheon on the 9th of last month, the tour visited seven cities in the order of Seoul, Suwon, Gangneung, Yeosu, Daegu, and Busan. The "Heumbok Show" is a concert format where water is sprayed on the audience during the performance.
This "Heumbok Show," held for the first time in three years since 2019 due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, was a commercial success. A "ticketing war" broke out on online reservation sites as people tried to secure tickets. Almost all tickets for performances in the seven cities sold out shortly after ticket sales began.
Despite the commercial success, various controversies related to the "Heumbok Show" erupted here and there during the nationwide tour. At the performance held on the 6th in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, some facilities inside the venue were damaged. On the 16th, Yeosu City sent an official letter to "Gongyeon Maru," the company organizing the "Heumbok Show," requesting restoration due to damage to the venue facilities. According to an on-site investigation conducted by Yeosu City, the elastic flooring inside the stadium used as the venue was damaged in several places, and the artificial turf had subsided.
A Yeosu City official stated, "It is a condition of the permit that the organizing company must restore the facilities if damaged," adding, "We will review the restoration plan and proceed according to the procedures."
On the 17th of last month, audience members enjoyed the concert 'Psy Humble Show 2022' by singer Psy while being sprayed with water jets. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, the "Heumbok Show" has also been pointed out as a major cause of COVID-19 infection spread. At the Yeosu performance, which attracted about 30,000 people, 66 attendees were confirmed positive in a cluster infection. Online, there were numerous posts from people reporting that they tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the "Heumbok Show." More than 30 posts titled "Heumbok Show COVID-19 positive reviews" appeared on portal sites. Many comments included statements like "All the friends I went with tested positive" and "With so many people packed tightly, it was inevitable to get infected."
Earlier, Psy's agency P Nation announced measures to reduce COVID-19 infection concerns, including disinfecting the entire venue and providing each audience member with three KF94 masks and one waterproof mask. P Nation stated, "All members involved in concert production will strictly comply with all COVID-19 prevention guidelines from the preparation stage to the conclusion of the concert," and "audiences can change masks up to three times during the concert according to the procedures announced."
Despite these measures, as concerns about the surge of confirmed cases at the "Heumbok Show" were raised, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 12th that "we are aware of the situation and are conducting a detailed investigation," and pledged to strengthen on-site management for large-scale performances.
During the Daegu performances held over two days on the 13th and 14th, issues with garbage disposal arose. The area near the main stadium of Daegu Stadium, where the concert was held, was filled with piles of trash such as disposable coffee cups and food waste left by spectators. Both inside the stadium and the VIP rooms where the singers stayed were reportedly full of garbage. Online community posts related to this included comments like "It's good to enjoy, but why do people throw trash carelessly?" and "Even the trash is soaked."
On the 13th and 14th, the area near the main stadium of Daegu Stadium, where the Humppok Show Daegu concert was held, was filled with piles of trash such as disposable coffee cups and food waste left behind by spectators. / Photo by Online Community Capture
At the Gangneung performance held on the 30th of last month, a foreign worker died while dismantling stage structures. A man in his 20s of Mongolian nationality reportedly fell about 15 meters from the steel stage structure and died.
In response, P Nation released a statement saying, "We deeply understand the efforts of the staff who work hard behind the scenes, so this accident is even more tragic," and added, "We will take responsible measures and a serious attitude to prevent such incidents from happening again."
Meanwhile, even before the nationwide tour began, the "Heumbok Show" was embroiled in controversy for a while. After Psy appeared on a variety show in May and revealed that "300 tons of water are sprayed on the audience per 'Heumbok Show' performance," criticism arose that "holding the 'Heumbok Show' during a drought is inappropriate." This claim sparked a debate over the pros and cons of the "Heumbok Show" for some time.
Experts suggest that management standards are needed to prevent problems like those seen at the "Heumbok Show" when conducting large-scale performances. Kim Heon-sik, a popular culture critic, said, "I think the 'Heumbok Show' has established itself as a summer performance," adding, "Now that it has a reputation, there was a need for a flexible promotional strategy when controversies arise." He continued, "In the future, detailed management standards should be prepared on how to conduct the show performance specifically," emphasizing, "Since similar events may increase, other event organizers should also consider and respond to these points."
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