BTS will no longer be embarking on a long-awaited world tour.
The K-Pop group had originally announced its massive Map of the Soul Tour in January 2020, set to commence in Seoul in April and span 38 concerts across Asia, North America and Europe.
The tour was then postponed in March 2020 due to the pandemic and its timeline has remained in limbo ever since. BTS did, however, perform at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards earlier this year in March and in a series of televised performances, including BBC One’s Radio 1 Live Lounge for the debut of its TV special.
On Friday, the band’s label Big Hit Entertainment officially canceled the tour, this time without rescheduled dates for the future, and said that fans will be refunded for their tickets. The news was announced in a statement posted to the BTS channel on the fan platform Weverse and to the band’s official Twitter account.
“Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour,” Big Hit wrote. “Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned.”
“Once again, please allow us to offer our sincere apology to all fans who have waited for the BTS Map Of The Soul Tour to resume,” Big Hit continued. “We are working to prepare a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible.”
In other entertainment news, martial arts legend and Kill Bill actor Sonny Chiba has passed away at 82.
