A large-scale K-pop concert scheduled to be held in Los Angeles, USA, has drastically revised its lineup due to issues with visa issuance for some artists.
On the 15th, KAMP Global (hereafter Camp), a Korean entertainment company that hosted the ‘KAMP (Camp) LA 2022′ concert, said on the official SNS, “7 out of 15 artists who were scheduled to attend, 7 teams were unable to attend the concert due to visa issues. ” announced. The artists involved include the group Monsta X, Lapilus, GOT7 BamBam, Girls’ Generation Taeyeon, EXO Kai, Zion T, and Jeon Somi.
The camp explained the reason for the artist’s absence, saying, “It was due to an unexpected visa problem and a situation outside the control of the artist and the agency.” K-pop stars must obtain a separate performance visa because paying concerts in the US entails commercial activities.
The concert was scheduled to be held for two days until the 16th at Rose Bowl Stadium, a large stadium in Pasadena, Los Angeles County. However, the controversy among K-pop fans is expected to continue as an unprecedented situation in which more than half of the participating artists will be absent.
The camp side changed the lineup of Momoland and T1419, which was the lineup the next day, to the performance on the first day, and formed 5 teams including Momoland, iKON, and Super Junior to improvise the lineup. The lineup for the second day has not yet been revealed.
SM Entertainment, the agency of Taeyeon and Kai, who were forcibly absent due to visa issues, said, “The organizers proceeded with the visa approval for the performance and cooperated in all areas in advance, but ultimately did not get visa approval.” I couldn’t tell you,” he apologized.
Local fans criticized the organizers with outrageous reactions to the official SNS comments, such as “I demand a full refund” and “I am angry at the clumsy work of the camp side.”
In response, the camp set a deadline for application and announced on the 15th that it would refund a full refund for a one-day ticket and a 50% refund for a two-day performance ticket, but protests from visitors are still continuing.
Baek Seung-hoon / photo courtesy of Mnet