KBS has announced its official position on the cancellation of Real Madrid’s “Music Bank.”
KBS said on September 20: “We inform K-pop fans in Madrid and around the world who love “KBS Music Bank“. On Friday, September 13, Real Madrid C.F. and Bernabeu announced that “all concerts scheduled at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium until March 2025 due to ongoing noise concerns for surrounding residents, are canceled.“
“Until these announcements are published in local media, Real Madrid has not made any official request or prior discussion with Madrid’s local organizers KANGOORU, S.L., KOREA POWER, A.I.E and Korean organizers KBS Music Bank about the cancellation of the Music Bank concert on October 12, 2024,” it said.
“This is a very shocking and incomprehensible event.”
KBS stated: “As of September 19, six days after Real Madrid first announced its decision to cancel the “KBS Music Bank” concert, Real Madrid has not provided any official explanation or apology to KANGOORU, S.L. The disappointment and frustration of the 33,000 K-pop fans from 87 countries and around the world who purchased tickets for the “Music Bank in Madrid” concert on October 12 is at its peak. Currently, fans’ social media is full of petitions asking Real Madrid and the event organizers to explain the cancellation of the concert and to reschedule it. http://www.change.org, the world’s largest petition/posting site on the Internet, explained that as of September 18, more than 11,000 fans have signed a petition called “Permitir que el “Music Bank” 2024 se realice“.
Furthermore, “we continue to receive requests for confirmation from K-pop artists who were scheduled to perform at the Bernabeu Stadium regarding the cancellation of the performance. If the performance is suspended, the disappointment of the eight K-pop artists who were preparing to meet Spanish fans during the nearly 20-hour journey from Korea to Madrid will be considerable. The Music Bank production team urges Real Madrid and the Bernabeu Stadium to address these various situations.“
First, KBS stated: “Music Bank, together with KANGOORU and S.L., deeply regret Real Madrid’s unilateral cancellation of the performance and demand an official explanation and apology from Real Madrid, expressing that it cannot accept the club’s arbitrary decision taken unfairly without prior consultation. In addition, we ask Real Madrid to provide an official explanation and apology to the tens of thousands of K-pop fans who are very frustrated by the current decision to cancel the performance and to the K-pop artists who promised to meet with Spanish fans.“
Secondly, “for the damage caused to K-pop fans and K-pop artists who invested a lot of time and money to attend the performance at the Bernabeu Stadium, we strongly demand that they assume their moral and financial responsibilities for the cancellation of the performance. Real Madrid must also assume responsibility for the damage caused to the brand image of the “Music Bank World Tour” created by the love and efforts of K-pop fans around the world over the past 15 years. Finally, we strongly ask you to work together to resume the performance of “Music Bank in Madrid” on October 12, 2024. The Music Bank production team has the capacity and willingness to do everything possible to not disappoint the K-pop fans who are waiting for the performance at the Bernabeu Stadium, such as adjusting the duration of the performance (or shortening it) and minimizing ambient noise. The Music Bank production team is willing to consult any request from the Madrid administration and the Bernabeu concert hall, and will work with local organisers and tens of thousands of K-pop fans to develop measures to prevent complaints from residents around the concert hall.”
Finally, KBS added, “We sincerely thank and comfort the local fans in Madrid and Spain for supporting and waiting for the performance of ‘Music Bank in Madrid‘ on October 12, and we hope that the final consultation with Real Madrid will be fruitful so that the dream of K-pop fans can be achieved.”
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: KBS
