Woodstock Korea postponed due to rain safety concerns

The Woodstock festival initially scheduled to take place for the first time in Korea from July 28-30 has been postponed to October, the festival's main organizer SGC Entertainment announced Friday.

The company addressed safety concerns arising from the rainy season, while adding that it plans to enhance the festival lineup in light of the delay, according to local media reports.

“Due to safety concerns and to improve the overall quality of the program, we have decided to postpone the festival to Oct. 7-9,” the company stated on its official website for the Korean edition of Woodstock.

The festival was scheduled to make its debut in Korea at the Hantangang River Geopark complex in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, in line with the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement. There had been a previous attempt in 2010 to host a Woodstock festival in Korea, but that effort failed due to copyright and artist lineup issues.

Meanwhile, a local media outlet reported Monday morning that the city of Pocheon expressed lack of faith in the organizer. The report stated that the company unilaterally notified the city of the postponement, followed by the mayor's comment that the company should seek alternative locations if they wish to proceed with the performance.

When The Korea Herald asked about a potential venue and lineup change on Monday, SGC Entertainment replied that nothing could be confirmed at this point.

“We are currently in the process of internal discussions, so we are unable to provide specific details," an SGC Entertainment official said. "But we will soon make an announcement for the ticket buyers."

The previous lineup for the festival announced on July 6 included Senegalese American rapper Akon, British pop band New Hope Club, singer-songwriter Henry Moodie and J-pop band Luck Life. Korean musicians including punk band Crying Nut, rock band No Brain, singers Jeon In-kwon, Taeyang and Sunmi, and rappers Tiger JK and Yoon Mi-rae were also in the announced lineup.