Election protest blocks concert arena, canceling trot concert 

Trot singer Park Seo-jin's encore concert in Seoul has been canceled after protesters demanding a rerun of the June 3 local elections spent more than two weeks blockading the planned venue, which also serves as a vote-counting center.

Other concerts and festivals have already been canceled or altered for the same reason. Weverse Con, hosted by HYBE, went ahead after reworking its audience routes and operations, while Nexon moved its MapleStory showcase to KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi.

Park Seo-jin's agency, Janggu God Entertainment, announced the cancellation Monday.

"Having judged that it would be difficult to hold the scheduled performance as normal, we unavoidably decided to cancel it," the agency said.

The two concerts had been scheduled for July 4 and 5 at the Handball Gymnasium in Seoul Olympic Park, now named Ticketlink Live Arena.

The agency said it had tried to find a way to go ahead. "We reviewed holding the concert from many angles and carefully considered options such as relocating the venue or changing the dates," it added. "We sincerely apologize to the fans who waited for and supported the concert for the disappointment and inconvenience caused."

Park Seo-jin's nationwide tour opened with a Seoul concert last December and stopped in major cities including Busan and Gwangju. The canceled Seoul date was to be the encore that closed the tour out.

The protest stems from ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections. Demonstrators have blockaded the Jamsil vote-counting center, housed in the Handball Gymnasium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, since June 5. Organizers feared the gymnasium could not operate and that audiences could not enter and leave safely.

The Seoul Park Music Festival, held Saturday and Sunday, had originally been planned for the Handball Gymnasium and the 88 Lawn but shifted to the 88 Lake Waterside Stage and Woori Financial Art Hall.

BY HAN YOUNG-HAE [[email protected]]