The K-pop group BOYNEXTDOOR, which is established by KOZ Entertainment in 2023. Photo: Lianhe Zaobao
The Bangkok concert of South Korean boy band "BOYNEXTDOOR," originally scheduled for Saturday, was abruptly canceled due to the impact of the Myanmar earthquake, leaving many fans stranded in Thailand.
The announcement reportedly came only after the band had already left Thailand, sparking backlash among some Chinese fans and calls to cancel their upcoming stop in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
According to the Singapore media Lianhe Zaobao, some fans were waiting for official updates after the earthquake caused chaotic scenes. The concert organizers initially released a cancellation notice, only to retract it shortly afterward. For an hour, they remained unresponsive, leaving fans with no choice but to proceed with their original travel plans to Bangkok as scheduled.
However, some fans spotted BOYNEXTDOOR members at the airport departing for South Korea, while organizers later issued a second notice confirming the cancellation, sparking anger over the lack of timely communication. Many international fans had already landed in Thailand unaware of the cancellation and faced the dilemma of being stranded in a foreign country, Lianhe Zaobao reported.
Footage circulated online showed desperate fans at Bangkok airport pleading, as the band members reportedly ignored their appeals, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
On social media platform X, a netizen required the boy band's company to cancel the stop in Hong Kong, claiming that "we are worried for BOYNEXTDOOR members' safety due to concerning malicious harmful posts being written by Chinese fanbase. Please take action."
A Chinese entertainment blogger posted this X post on China's social media Sina Weibo, which sparked anger among some Chinese fans who expressed disappointment with the boy band and called for the cancellation of their upcoming Hong Kong concert.
"After this Bangkok incident, who would even attend their next concert?" One netizen commented. "If Chinese fans don't go, the venue won't even be half full," commented another.
The related hashtag on Sina Weibo has generated 160 million views and 47,000 discussions as of press time.
Some fans also accused the band of prioritizing their exit over fan's safety, with hashtags about unfollowing BOYNEXTDOOR topped the trending list on Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, on Sunday, with over 9 million views.
BOYNEXTDOOR is scheduled to hold their first official concert in Hong Kong on April 6, according to AsiaWorld-Expo, the official website of the venue where the concert will be held.
However, some fans also argued that earthquakes are natural disasters where safety should naturally be the top priority, and that fans shouldn't direct their anger toward the idols.
After the concert was canceled, the members of BOYNEXTDOOR posted apologies to fans on the fan community platform Weverse.
According to the Korea Times, BOYNEXTDOOR is a K-pop rookie group formed by KOZ entertainment in 2023. The group consists of Jaehyun, Sungho, Riwoo, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak. The group held the first two solo concerts in December 2024 with all tickets selling out.
Global Times
