More Korean productions have been temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the entertainment industry.
SBS has canceled the filming of their popular variety show “Running Man,” as well as “Deacons,” although there are no confirmed cases in their production team. tvN has also stopped filming its travel variety show “Seoul Village Guy,” while MNet’s music show “M Countdown” has decided to take a break from its live broadcast.
Production companies have been taking precautions after some actors tested positive for COVID-19. KBS has stopped production of major dramas including “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol,” which was scheduled to premiere on August 26. The drama, starring Go Ara and Lee Jae-wook, was forced to stop production after their fellow actor Heo Dong-won tested positive for the virus. Another KBS drama, “To All The Guys Who Loved Me” has also been affected after one of its cast members Seo Sung-jung was found to be COVID-19 positive.
Shooting has been canceled from August 24 to 31 for most productions, so there will be a slight delay in some of the airing dramas including the suspense thriller “Flower of Evil” starring Lee Joon-gi.
JTBC Studio has stopped filming the dramas “18 Again,” “Private Lives,” “Now My School,” “Number of Cases,” and “Run On.” Meanwhile, Netflix has also temporarily suspended its Korean content production, which includes the upcoming series “Squid Game.”
There’s some good news, however, since tvN’s “Record of Youth” will premiere as scheduled on September 7. Filming for the drama starring Park Bo-gum, Park So-dam and Byeon Woo-seok has reportedly been completed.
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 has been a difficult challenge for the entertainment industry in South Korea. Last Sunday, almost 400 new cases were reported, the highest daily rise in COVID-19 cases in South Korea since March. As of date, over 17,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in South Korea since January, with more than 300 deaths.