South Korean K-pop group 'Exo' pose on the red carpet of the '2016 Asia Artist Awards' in Seoul on November 16, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images/Ed Jones)
A bittersweet news awaits all EXO fans. The twelve-member group has postponed the remaining dates on their "EXO Planet #3-The EXO'rDium" tour in what could be possible fallout from Seoul's plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile on its soil.
EXO was initially scheduled to hold the "EXO Planet #3-The EXO'rDium" concert at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre on Dec. 17. However, they recently decided to reschedule it due to the request of its Chinese agency, as per S.M. Entertainment, as cited by Yonhap News Agency.
"We understand the delay was solely due to the Chinese organizer's request for rescheduling," a representative from S.M. Entertainment told the same publication. "We will reschedule the event as early as possible after consulting with the organizer."
This comes weeks after Chinese authorities tightened Korean celebrities and idols activities in the country. The Hallyu ban is in an apparent retaliation for South Korea's stand to deploy the THAAD missile in the midst of China's objection.
Song Joong-Ki, who portrayed Army Captain Yoo Si Jin (aka Big Boss) in KBS 2TV's "Descendants of the Sun," seemed to have been affected by the measure when he was replaced by Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng in a promotional advertisement for China's leading smartphone brand VIVO, Yahoo! Lifestyle reported. It was also reported that several Chinese cosmetics brands are also discussing whether to change their Korean models that include Song Hye-Kyo, Kim Soo-Hyun, and Ahn Jae-Hyun.
Eddie Peng & VIVO x9 pic.twitter.com/ynRLWrWdIG
— Wannawat (@Wannawat) November 16, 2016
In addition to that, Chinese authorities have also ordered local broadcasters not to air any Korean movies, television dramas, entertainment shows or even Chinese remade versions of Korean content. Nonetheless, the said prohibition will only affect Korean projects that have yet to be screened for broadcast.
Stay tuned for more updates as they arrive. While waiting, check out the official music video for EXO's "Monster" below:
