New Korean Films and Dramas Halt Production Due to Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic
Unfortunately, there has been a spread of the COVID-19 virus amongst the people working in the Korean entertainment industry. Due to this, more films and drama productions are forced to pause their filming to prevent the spread of the virus.
With the recent return of the virus, plenty of celebrities are in the process of undergoing the COVID-19 tests to confirm if they have been infected or not. And just recently, both actors Kim Won Hae and Heo Dong Won have tested positive for it.
Yesterday (August 21st), a source from the tvN's new drama titled "Night and Day" which stars Namgoong Min and AOA's Seolhyun disclosed that the drama has postponed their filming until the 25th of August due to Kim Won Hae's positive test result. And that same day, one drama reportedly postponed filming, it is the drama starred by Jo Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye titled "Sisyphus" (working title).
The Netflix drama "Squid Game" starring Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo have also decided to pause filming. The streaming site Netflix explained that they came into the decision to suspend all content production for the meantime to follow the government's guidelines for the public's safety.
Earlier, the JTBC network announced to suspend their drama productions and in addition they have added even more dramas that will be on temporary stop. These dramas are "18 Again," "Run On," "Live On," and "Our School Now."
"Run On" cast are Girls' Generation's Sooyoung, Im Siwan, Shin Se Kyung, and Kang Tae Oh, while "Live On," stars NU'EST's Minhyun, Noh Jong Hyun, Yang Hye Ji, Yeonwoo, Jung Da Bin, and VICTON's Byungchan. Meanwhile, the webtoon drama, "Our School Now" doesn't have any confirmed cast yet. According to a source from the JTBC network, stated that they have ordered to suspend the production and filming to all their dramas and have yet to decided when the shooting will resume again.
Nevertheless, JTBC isn't the only station to halt their filming of dramas and films. KBS network also asked their productions to be stopped.
Here is an official statement from the KBS network:
"KBS immediately scheduled an emergency meeting and have concluded to temporarily halt the production of their major dramas for just a week on August 24 to August 30 the be able to prevent and avoid the virus' spread. The network expressed that in this situation where the virus is spreading uncontrollably, they have been sadly required to suspend the production of dramas, such as 'Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol,' 'Samkwang Villa,' and 'If You Cheat, You Die' for safety measures and to avoid the cast and crew from getting the COVID-19 infection.
Because of this temporary suspension of production, 'Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol,' which was scheduled to premiere on August 26, will most likely be rescheduled. 'The Secret Man' will also be postponed for a week."
The future broadcast schedules are flexible to shift depending on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. All the networks are currently asking for your deep understanding as this is an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
