It'll be hard to see comebacks as early as May.

Because of the tragic Sewol ferry accident that occurred on the 16th, artists who had planned for April comebacks are all postponing their schedules. While many might hope for a May comeback, it doesn't look like that will be an easy task. As the ferry sinking incident progresses, the period of national mourning has also been extended. There are a few reasons why these singers might even push their comebacks to June.

First of all, there are no broadcast music programs. As of now, all entertainment programs, especially music ranking programs, are at a complete standstill, and they cannot even think about airing such shows. At the time of the Cheonan incident, music ranking programs were cancelled for 4 to 5 weeks. With the recent tragedy, it could take longer this time around. One program rep stated, "We're very skeptical about resuming recordings starting in May. It'll be hard to welcome singing and dancing on television." If there are no music ranking programs, then it'll be meaningless to even attempt to make a comeback. From the musician's point of view, music programs, despite having only a 3-4% viewership, are the first means of promotion for a comeback.

Second, the style of music can become an issue. One girl group that has been preparing for a comeback chose 'sexy' as their new concept. However because of the delayed comeback, the song has become unfitting for the current mood of the nation. Because of the sorrowful atmosphere, any overly sexy concept can be met with accusations from the public. A rep from said girl group's agency stated, "For now we're looking into resuming activities after July, but it's difficult to even say that for sure." Another difficult matter is the fact that idols' dance songs are dominating the current music market.

Lastly, the Brazil World Cup is scheduled for the second week of June. Most singers chose comeback dates between the last week of April to the first week of June to avoid the World Cup. However due to the terrible ferry accident, April and even May comebacks have been completely erased, and it's most likely that the adjusted schedules will include comeback dates that happen in late June and early July, after the World Cup has ended.

One agency rep stated, "No matter what we're going to avoid the World Cup. There are very few groups that had comebacks during the World Cup that left a lasting impression. As the mourning period is extended, there will be many teams that reschedule their comebacks to late June or early July, after the World Cup comes to an end."