‘Show! Music Core in Macau’ canceled 10 days ahead of event

MBC’s upcoming overseas concert event, “Show! Music Core in Macau,” has been officially canceled, the broadcaster announced Wednesday.

The event was originally scheduled to take place over two days on Feb. 7 and 8 at Galaxy Arena in Macao. MBC had previously announced that the artist lineup would include K-pop groups such as BoyNextDoor, Enhypen, Le Sserafim, Mark, WayV, Zerobaseone, Alpha Drive One, Hearts2Hearts, Izna, KickFlip and StayC.

However, several Japanese members of the participating K-pop groups reportedly faced complications obtaining visas, according to local media reports.

Rising diplomatic tensions between China and Japan have affected cultural exchanges between the two countries, including visa issuance for Japanese artists trying to attend events in China.

MBC did not directly address the diplomatic context in its announcement, only citing “local circumstances and overall logistical conditions” as the reason for cancellation.

"We sincerely apologize to the fans and officials who had been looking forward to the event, and we will review the possibility of rescheduling the show once a more stable environment is in place,” MBC said through its official press statement.