The entertainment industry took a huge hit this weekend as many planned events and programs were canceled and movie box offices saw limited audiences. 

As the tragic saga of the Sewol ferry disaster continues to plague the people of South Korea, the nation has all attention focused on the relief effort and holding out hope that at least some of the hundreds still missing will be found alive now several days after the passenger vessel capsized.

In the wake of such a sudden and shocking national disaster, entertainment companies, including broadcasters, producers, and the artists themselves, have opted to put their schedules on hold so that the people of South Korea may properly focus and mourn this week's tragic events.

And now, as the relief effort continues, viewers and fans can expect further scheduling and programming delays as media coverage of the ferry tragedy continues to take precedent.

The box office in Korea over the weekend reflected the disinterest of the population to engage in things for entertainment value while so many are suffering the grief of dead or missing loved ones. Nation-wide only 334,310 moviegoers hit the theaters on Saturday, well below half of what movies tend to drag in at this time of year.

In television, all the usual weekend variety shows were cancelled as were dramas and a few special programs including a highly anticipated 'Ilbe Special' on SBS. As news coverage of the ferry incident continues, many regularly scheduled programs are expected to cancel of postpone broadcasting throughout the coming week.

One show, however, the drama 'Very Good Days' proceeded with broadcasting as usual, and not surprisingly saw a huge decline in viewership, despite being the only drama aired on Saturday. The KBS 2TV show dropped nearly 5% in the ratings from its numbers last week even though no network competitors aired their usual programming. The drama will also run on Sunday night amid blanket cancellations from other networks.

Another string of cancellations has been announced from various artists to show their respect for the victims and their families.

Singer Lee Jung has decided to postpone his May 17-18 'Together' concert. The star tweeted, "My 2nd concert that was planned for the 17th-18th will be canceled and postponed. I'm planning to lend my strength for mourning and a miracle. God bless."

Eddy Kim also cancelled his April 21 'Acoustic Cafe' concert due to the tragic events. His agency Mysitc89 expressed through their official SNS, "The Sewol Ferry incident has resulted in many casualties. We decided to cancel the concert, as we thing it is not right to follow our original plan. We send our deepest condolences and sympathies to the victims."

Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye did not have the same luxury of canceling their weekend performance and were met by a solemn audience during their April 18 performance.

The two reportedly requested that their 'Hallyu Star Family Concert' series show be cancelled, but organizers Lotte ultimately decided to proceed as planned due to an estimated 12,000 fans expected to be flying in from abroad.

The atmosphere in the venue was described as solemn and grave and the performance was shortened from two hours to an hour and a half. Both performers wore black to show their respects for the ferry accident victims and the concert proceeded without any additional performances or originally planned special events.

Lotte did, however, postpone concerts planned for April 19 and 20 that were geared toward Korean fans specifically.