Local singing legend blamed for hiking virus concerns with 24,000 fans at Daegu concerts

People gather in front of EXCO in Daegu for Na Hoon-a's concert, July 16. Yonhap

By Ko Dong-hwan

Legendary trot singer Na Hoon-a is facing public criticism after having drawn 24,000 fans to his concerts in Daegu amid concerns over rising COVID-19 cases across the country.

Na, 74, held six concerts, titled "AGAIN," at EXCO in Daegu's Buk District from July 16 to 18. The concert organizer limited each concert to 4,000 people and all six sold out.

The concerts raised fresh concerns that they threatened public safety against the spread of the coronavirus. Some people took pictures or recorded videos of concertgoers lined up to get inside EXCO and leaving the venue after the shows, and posted them on social networks.

The news of the concerts drew public criticism of the singer. Some condemned Na for going ahead with the concerts when other musicians have been cancelling performances to not let their shows become potential grounds of mass infection.

Some criticisms also targeted the Daegu city government for having allowed the concerts. According to local reports, the city government said they had no legal grounds to stop the concerts. Holding a concert with audiences of 5,000 or less is allowed by the country's disease control authorities under Level 2 to 4 guidelines of the four-tier social distancing measures. During the concerts, the city was under Level 2 social distancing.

Na Hoon-a / Courtesy of KBS

The city government told a JTBC TV news show that they sent some officials to EXCO during the concerts to monitor whether disease transmission prevention safety measures were being observed. One official told the network that the city government did its best to keep the concerts as safe as possible and requested the public to stop criticizing the government for having allowed the concerts.

The criticism has mounted following Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province enforcing social distancing measures under the highest Level 4 last week as the capital region saw infections skyrocket, with daily numbers of over 1,000 per day.

Na's agency said the singer planned the concerts to "bring hope to the people being stifled throughout their daily lives under the fear of COVID-19."

He will continue the "AGAIN" concerts at BEXCO in Busan from July 23 to 25.

Na debuted in 1968 and, together with his "rival" singer Nam Jin, has been enjoying steady fandom ever since.

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