Coronavirus: K-pop band BTS postpones US, Canada tour over outbreak

Coronavirus: K-pop band BTS postpones US, Canada tour over outbreak
PHOTO: Big Hit Entertainment

South Korea's boy band BTS will postpone its North America tour that was scheduled to kick off in April due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, its management said on Friday.

The seven-member K-pop hit group was expected to begin its tours in the United States and Canada on April 25, in Santa Clara, including stops in Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, New Jersey, Washington and Toronto, before wrapping up in Chicago in June.

Big Hit Entertainment said new dates were not set but all reserved tickets remain valid.

"We are closely monitoring and following the guidance of all local governments regarding public events to ensure we are providing a safe environment for everyone involved as we continue to update our tour plans," Big Hit said in a statement on the fan community application called Weverse.

The delay came as the United States surpassed China and Italy as the country with the most coronavirus cases with thousands of new infections per day.

Last month, BTS cancelled its Seoul concert also scheduled for April as South Korea was grappling with its own outbreak.

The four shows, scheduled to take place between April 11 and 19 at the capital's Olympic Stadium, home to the 1988 Games, were expected to draw "over 200,000" BTS fans.

BTS - or Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof Boy Scouts - are the first K-pop group to top charts in the US and Britain.

Their latest album Map of the Soul: 7, released in February, was the most pre-ordered South Korean album of all time, with more than four million copies sold before its release.

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