South Korean rock festival cancelled over ferry disaster

A South Korean music festival featuring The Cure, Nine Inch Nails and Stereophonics has been cancelled in the aftermath of the country’s tragic Sewol ferry disaster. At least 183 travellers have been confirmed dead and 121 are still missing after a passenger vessel capsized and sank off the coast of the country on 16 April (14).
Many of the victims were students on a school trip, and the disaster has led to a national outpouring of grief, prompting the organisers of the country’s Ansan Valley Rock Festival to call off the event, which was due to take place in July (14).
A statement from festival organisers at the CJ E&M company reads, “We don’t believe it is right for us to hold a music festival in times of national grief. The city of Ansan has also been declared a disaster region; we are aware of the negative consequences and loss to our festival and image, but the nation’s pain should be prioritised above all.”
The festival was also due to feature sets from The XX, Foals, My Bloody Valentine and Vampire Weekend.