Entertainment industry reels from martial law declaration and reversal

Entertainment industry in chaos following 45-year-first martial law declaration.

The entertainment industry faced significant disruption following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s unexpected late-night declaration of martial law, only for it to be lifted six hours later. While some events resumed as planned, others have been postponed, reflecting ongoing political uncertainties.

Singer Lee Seung Hwan initially canceled his concert but reversed his decision after the martial law was lifted, announcing the event would proceed as scheduled. Meanwhile, an interview with actress Seo Hyun Jin, originally set for the morning of December 4th KST, was canceled. A public relations agency revealed, “Seo Hyun Jin’s interview has been canceled, and the interviews with Gong Yoo and Jung Yoon Ha scheduled for December 5th and 6th are currently under discussion.”

On the other hand, director Yang Woo Suk’s interview for the movie ‘Big Family’ went ahead as planned. The event organizers decided to proceed after closely monitoring the situation.

Singer Dua Lipa, currently on her Asian tour with stops in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan, has two concerts scheduled in South Korea on December 4th and 5th KST. This marks her return to Korea after six years since her 2018 performance. Despite the confusion caused by the martial law declaration, Dua Lipa’s team announced the concerts would proceed as planned, though they are closely monitoring the situation.

Similarly, singer Jang Bum Joon’s concerts on December 4th and 5th KST at Hyundai Card Understage will go ahead. Early in the morning on December 4th, Jang posted on his YouTube channel, “Let’s all do our best today to protect our precious daily lives. Given the country’s turbulent situation, I won’t be posting anything for the next two days. Stay informed with the news, and I’ll see you at the concert.”

Film previews are also proceeding as scheduled. Screenings for ‘The Crow’ at 2 PM and ‘These Trivial Things’ at 4:30 PM, both in Yongsan, Seoul, will continue. A representative from Pan Cinema, the distributor of ‘The Crow’, stated, “The theater has not provided any directives, so we plan to proceed. If there are any changes, we’ll notify immediately.” Similarly, Green Narae Media, the distributor of ‘These Trivial Things’, confirmed that their event will go ahead.

President Yoon declared martial law at 10:23 PM on December 3rd, only to announce its revocation approximately six hours later, at 4:27 AM on December 4th, in a televised address from the Yongsan Presidential Office.

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