Bus Zone Protest Disrupts Voting Site in Jamsil

An unprecedented shutdown that paralyzes Olympic Park marks the opening act of a chain reaction hit to the culture world

The dazzling finale of Janggu’sin’s ‘Park Seojin’ was ultimately shipwrecked, swept away by external waves. As the ‘Jamsil vote-counting site blockade protest’ that seized control of the Olympic Park area moved into a prolonged phase, the ‘Encore Concert’ that was set to be held at the Seoul Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium on April 4 and 5 next month was scrapped in full. On the 22nd, Janggu’sin Entertainment, her agency, reached a final conclusion that a normal concert cannot proceed despite efforts to explore alternatives on multiple fronts. In effect, the long wait by the artist and fans trying to cap off a nationwide tour was shattered by the fallout from the physical clash.

The source of this culture-world shutdown was the ‘Jamsil vote-counting site blockade protest’ that broke out during the shortage of ballots in the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections on the 3rd. From the 5th, with protestors camping near the handball gym, transportation in the area was thoroughly paralyzed. And because concerts draw large crowds, the critically dangerous ‘safety issues’ came to the fore. Organizers, the explanation goes, were unable to take the reckless step of pressing ahead under extreme circumstances where they could not guarantee spectators’ safety.

The damage is not limited to ‘Park Seojin.’ HYBE’s ‘Weverse Con’, a K-pop fest, sparked a farce that required a complete overhaul of audience routes and operating manuals. Meanwhile, NEXON’s large-scale project ‘MapleStory’ showcase was urgently moved to Ilsan KINTEX altogether, forcing it into a hasty evacuation. The ‘Seoul Park Music Festival’, held on the 20th and 21st, also barely avoided disorder by rushing the stage from the existing Handball Gymnasium and the 88 Grass Square to locations including the 88 Lake Waterfront Stage. A butterfly effect caused by political conflict is aiming directly at the core of South Korea’s arts and culture sector, leaving painful scars in its wake.