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BTS announced on August 20, Friday, that their world tour for Map of the Soul now stands officially canceled. The band also informed its fans, especially those in North America, that they will hear about the status of their refund for the tickets soon.
This announcement has left fans upset, especially if members of the band begin to enlist in the army. Many expect that not all members might be available for a live performance by the time the situation returns to normal.
Why are fans upset over BTS' world tour cancelation?
Fans feel that Jin might have enlisted in the army by the time the band starts touring again. The star would be away from live performance for more than 18 months if this were to happen.
In addition to this, members of BTS — RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jin, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — have all expressed sadness that they are unable to perform live for their Army. They have also reiterated that they would love to return to the stage as soon as possible, with RM asking the coronavirus to please leave on VLive even going viral on Twitter.
However, considering the situation across the world, as the number of cases has begun to rise, there is no certainty of how things might change. This, however, does not mean that the band will stay away from finding ways to interact with their fans.
In a statement, BTS has promised to consider suitable alternatives to live performance that would follow the safety and guidelines required.
BTS statement regarding cancelation of Map of the Soul world tour
In an official statement released by BTS' agency Big Hit Music, they said:
"Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances on the same scale and timeline as previously planned. Therefore we must announce the cancelation of the BTS Map of the Soul tour. The tour's concerts in Seoul were previously canceled in February of last year, followed by the postponement of the North American leg in March; dates in Europe and Japan were postponed prior to the start of ticket sales in those regions. We regret that we must now inform you of the formal cancellation of the tour."
The statement added
"For fans who have reserved tickets for North American shows, you will receive an email from your original point of purchase regarding refunds."
Speaking of an alternative to world tours, the agency said they were looking for "a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations."
They also revealed that updates regarding this would be provided to the Army soon.
In the meantime, fans expect a collaboration between BTS and Coldplay to drop soon. The speculation grew bigger after Jin dropped a hint regarding a collab with a foreign artist dropping soon during his recent live performance, sending fans into a frenzy.
Jin also mentioned that he was a big fan of the artist they recorded with and showed a snapshot that he had taken with the star. He did not reveal the face in the image, though, leading to many guesses from the fans.
