K-pop event accused of trying to steal headliners

A K-pop show held as part of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree Korea has been accused of trying to steal headliners from another festival.

The K-Pop Super Live Concert was originally set to take place in Saemangeum, South Korea on 6 August, but was postponed by officials due to extreme heat.

The jamboree attracts more than 40,000 people from 155 countries and has been plagued by problems, causing embarrassment to the Korean authorities. Thousands of scouts have since been evacuated from a campsite due to an approaching tropical storm.

The K-Pop Super Live Concert has now been switched to the Jeonju World Cup Stadium this Friday (11 August), clashing with the start of the Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival (JUMF), which is scheduled to run from 11-13 August.

Koreaboo reports that the move received an angry response from JUMF organiser Lee Tae Dong, director of promoter MBC.

“Am I a fool for preparing for over half a year for this festival’s success? Is it okay for them to disregard a festival in their region just for their convenience?”

“I am filled with anger,” he says. “It’s not just because we’ve been preparing for the festival in the same city on the same day for a long time. JUMF even postponed its event date in accordance to the Jamboree’s schedule.”

Dong also alleged the rival event’s organisers had attempted to remove the artists who were already booked to perform at JUMF.

“The organisers of the Jamboree event contacted me,” he says. “They asked for understanding about their plan to have the headliners of Friday’s JUMF perform at Jamboree’s closing K-Pop concert on the same day – one hour before the festival. I was utterly dumbfounded by their request.

“These artists were announced as headliners for the festival a long time ago. Since they are located close to the closing ceremony, Jamboree must have thought it was easy to invite them. Am I a fool for preparing for over half a year for this festival’s success? Is it okay for them to disregard a festival in their region just for their convenience? Are the rights of the audience who traveled a long way, paying significant costs and expenses to see the performance of a team, disregarded with a free show?”

The jamboree’s concert was initially scheduled to feature 11 artists, including Ive, ZeroBaseOne, NMIXX, StayC and P1Harmony, but there will be changes to line-up. Artists due to headline JUMF, meanwhile, include Oh My Girl and Dreamcatcher. Oh My Girl’s agency WM Entertainment says it has not been contacted by Jamboree organisers, adding that the group is planning to go ahead with their performance at JUMF.

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