South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late in the afternoon of December 3, leading to a wave of cancellations of festivals and events across the country.

Fear is growing within the entertainment industry about the holding of end-of-year concerts and other planned events. Some are already talking about the worst crisis in the industry as the end of the year and the New Year approach.

According to reports on December 3, major entertainment agencies have begun informing their artists not to participate in events scheduled from December 4. The emergency notifications cite the difficulties in organizing regional festivals and events under martial law. A key industry player confirmed the cancellation of these programs, saying, " Holding an event under these circumstances could lead to unforeseen problems ."

The cancellation of festivals and events organized by local governments seems inevitable. The situation is even more critical for private events such as concerts, fan meet-ups and other activities planned by entertainment companies. The industry is on high alert, with no precedent for how to respond to martial law, the last one dating back to 1980. One agency CEO commented, “ We are monitoring the situation in real time ,” describing the situation as an “extreme emergency.”

Major entertainment agencies are on high alert and maintaining emergency operations as they closely monitor the current situation.