Mass K-pop concert to take place in person next month amid pandemic

In line with eased social distancing rules, a mass K-pop concert will be held in person here next month for the first time since the new coronavirus pandemic broke out early last year, organizers said Wednesday.

“Together Again, K-pop Concert” will kick off at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in the Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul at 5 p.m. July 17, according to the Korea Management Federation (KMF).

The long-awaited offline concert will be co-hosted by the KMF and Arirang TV, the country’s English-language broadcasting channel that airs worldwide.

A total of 26 K-pop acts — such as NCT Dream, Oh My Girl, Brave Girls, and BTOB, as well as popular ballad singers Kim Tae-woo and Baek Ji-young — will perform at the event.

The venue has a capacity of 2,000 seats, but the sit-apart rule will be applied to keep social distance among visitors. As part of anti-COVID-19 measures, visitors will also be required to wear face masks and have their body temperature checked.

The concert will be a rare large in-person event amid the pandemic, as most gigs have switched to virtual ones or were canceled due to virus woes and strict social distancing measures.

But on June 14, a revised guideline went into effect, allowing organizers to host pop music gigs of up to 4,000 attendees as long as basic rules — such as seat arrangements and on-site hygiene — are kept. Before that, only up to 99 attendees were allowed.

“We hope the concert ends in success and signals a return to daily life,” the KMF said.