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Agence France-Presse

K-pop megastars BTS today cancelled four Seoul concerts due in April as the number of novel coronavirus cases in South Korea passed 2,000.
The seven-piece boy band – currently one of the biggest acts in the world – had scheduled four gigs at the capital’s Olympic Stadium to promote their new album, Map of the Soul: 7.
More than 200,000 fans were expected to attend, their agency Big Hit Entertainment said, with “a number of global production companies and a large group of expert international crew” also involved.
It was “impossible at this time to predict the scale of the outbreak”, it said, creating so much uncertainty it was “unavoidable” the shows were cancelled “without further delay”.

“We must take into consideration the health and safety of hundreds of thousands of guests as well as our artists,” it added.
The BTS concerts are the latest events to be cancelled or postponed as the outbreak has spread in the world’s 12th-largest economy. Among affected events are the K-league football season and the World Team Table Tennis championships, while museums and other public venues have closed.


The US – which stations 28,500 troops in the country – and South Korean militaries have also postponed forthcoming joint exercises over coronavirus concerns, with no resumption date set.
South Korea reported 256 new cases on Friday, taking its total – the highest in the world outside China – to 2,022, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
South Korea’s total is expected to increase further after checks began on more than 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive entity often accused of being a cult, linked to around half of the nation’s cases.

A 61-year-old female member developed a fever on February 10, but attended at least four church services in Daegu – the country’s fourth-largest city with a population of 2.5 million – before being diagnosed.
Daegu mayor Kwon Young-jin said the city’s total could reach as many as 3,000 in the coming days as Shincheonji members test results appear, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. “The next week will be the tipping point,” he said.
BTS – or Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof Boy Scouts – were the first K-pop group to top charts in the US and Britain.
Health is always on our mind these days and our messages of facing your inner self and loving yourself is ultimately possible when you’re healthy
Jimin, BTS singer
Their latest effort was given a simultaneous worldwide release online last Friday, becoming the most pre-ordered South Korean album of all time, with more than four million copies sold before its release.
The coronavirus outbreak already forced them to live-stream a press conference earlier this week, the seven members waving and bowing to a virtually empty hall, and urging fans to take care of themselves.
“Health is always on our mind these days and our messages of facing your inner self and loving yourself is ultimately possible when you’re healthy,” said singer Jimin. “Especially since it is very risky outside these days, I hope you take care of your health.”


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K-pop band BTS promoted their fourth album Map of the Soul 7 in Seoul, South Korea – despite advising fans to stay home over coronavirus fears. Photo: EPA-EFE/Handout

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19 Sep 2015, Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, China --- Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai performs at the Tianjin concert during her "Play" world tour in Tianjin, China, 19 September 2015. Pictured: Jolin Tsai --- Image by Imaginechina/Splash News/Corbis

Hong Kong singer Andy Lau performs during his concert in Hong Kong, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Got7 are among the growing number of artists cancelling Asia shows due to the coronavirus.

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BTS had to abandon their upcoming concerts to promote their new album Map of the Soul: 7
South Korea’s recent spate of infections make it the most infected outside China



BTS have cancelled their Seoul concerts promoting their latest album release, Map of the Soul: 7, as South Korea reports a new spate of coronavirus infections making it the most infected outside China.


BTS cancel Seoul concerts as South Korea coronavirus cases pass 2,000

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} BTS had to abandon their upcoming concerts to promote their new album Map of the Soul: 7 South Korea’s recent spate of infections make it the most infected outside China

BTS had to abandon their upcoming concerts to promote their new album Map of the Soul: 7

South Korea’s recent spate of infections make it the most infected outside China