The 19th Seoul Drama Awards took place on September 25th at KBS Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Since 2006, this international drama festival has grown to become a significant event, recognizing outstanding dramas from around the world and featuring various award ceremonies and performances. This year’s event boasted its largest scale, with 346 dramas from 48 countries participating.
However, despite its growth in size, the event faced criticism for its lack of planning. The unexpected cancellation of a pre-announced performance without informing the artist highlighted this issue.
On September 13th, the Seoul Drama Awards had announced in a press release that “congratulatory performances by ZEROBASEONE, NMIXX, and N.Flying‘s Yoo Hwe-seung will be held.” While NMIXX successfully opened the show and ZEROBASEONE performed at the end of the first part (despite a commercial interruption), Yoo Hwe-seung’s stage vanished without explanation.
N.Flying later posted on their official social media, “We regret to inform you that the congratulatory performance scheduled for today’s “SBS Seoul Drama Awards 2024” has been canceled due to delays at the venue.” This announcement left dozens of fans, who had been waiting since morning, disappointed and confused.
Around 6:30 PM, after the awards ceremony concluded, Yoo Hwe-seung expressed his frustration to fans through a communication platform, saying, “I don’t know the details either. I was backstage ready to perform when I heard that my performance was suddenly canceled. I had to hurriedly leave.” He added, “There’s nothing I can say definitively”, and apologized to his fans, saying, “I’m sorry I couldn’t properly take care of those who came to see me since morning.”
A photo was released on Yoo Hwe-seung’s social media showed him fully prepared backstage, wearing an in-ear microphone and waiting for his cue. It appears he was ready to perform but was notified of the cancellation at the last minute without any prior discussion or explanation.
This incident is virtually unheard of in the history of such events – a pre-announced performance being canceled without notice on the day of the ceremony. While a congratulatory stage may only last three minutes, the preparation time and effort involved are substantial. The disappointment of fans who had gathered since morning to watch the performance was palpable.
Fans expressed their frustration on social media, asking, “Why was only Yoo Hwe-seung’s stage canceled?” and “Shouldn’t the organizers of the awards ceremony provide an explanation?” Many pointed out that fans had arrived early and waited, only for the performance to be canceled.
When contacted to explain the situation, the Seoul Drama Awards organizing committee told Maeil Business Star Today, “We will respond later”, avoiding an immediate answer. As of now, they have not released any statement through official social media channels or press releases.
Source: NATE
