K-pop fan’s souls are crushed as news of the cancelation of communal meetings with their fellow “Army” members have been put on hold due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
BTS has officially canceled their planned Map of the Soul world tour, reps for the band’s label, Big Hit Music, have confirmed via the Weverse fan platform.
“Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour,” the statement reads, Variety reported. “Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned.”
The group’s precautionary measure puts this in superstar company, as wildly diverse acts — ranging from Garth Brooks to Nine Inch Nails — have also canceled lucrative tours this week amid COVID concerns.
Meanwhile, the notoriously diehard BTS #FanArmy is collectively — and predictably — losing its innards in the comments of trending Twitter. “I just don’t get why so many American artists are going on [tour] and they had to cancel,” one fan commented.
The tour — now delayed for more than 16 months — was originally set to launch in April 2020 after the band released its fourth album “Map of the Soul: 7.” After opening night in their homebase of Seoul, South Korea, the tour was scheduled for 39 legs in 18 countries including the US.
Meanwhile, the newfound McDonald’s ambassadors of BTS have attempted to keep their, uh, voracious fanbase satiated with online performances — paid tickets required — and a concert film. As of now, there are no firm plans to reschedule live dates.
“We are working to prepare a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible,” Big Hit said in their statement.
On Thursday, South Korea logged 2,152 more COVID-19 cases, the second-largest number recorded there during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The country has endured a total of 233,000 infections since the beginning of the outbreak in March 2020.