On May 16, aespa reportedly canceled its comeback stage after a fire broke out on the set while pre-recording. Concerns arose even more after Winter complained of poor condition, who's already suffering from pneumothorax.
According to a report by the Korean media outlet JoyNews24 on the 16th, a fire broke out in the filming studio inside the Sangam CJ ENM Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul this morning.
It is reported that the accident occurred due to a problem with the filming set and as a result, aespa who had a pre-recording schedule at the time decided to cancel due to their poor physical condition.
There were a lot of concerns as Winter, who just had a pneumothorax surgery inhaled a lot of smoke leading her to not feel well. It was alarming since this condition is prone to recur if exposed to a poor environment.
According to MYs and staff present at the venue, the fire broke out due to fireworks used during the pre-recording, not to mention the poor setup in 'M Countdown' which became one of the factors of the accident.
The fans who saw what happened also added that aespa was only able to film twice and when the fire broke, they were asked to leave and re-enter. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
ALSO READ: Expert Reveals How Serious Pneumothorax Is Following aespa Winter's Surgery: 'It's Not Easy to Sing'
On this day, aespa is actually scheduled to perform their latest track, "Supernova" released on May 13th, one of the double title tracks from aespa's first full-length album, "Armageddon" set to be unveiled on the 27th.
Following the incident, SM Entertainment released its official statement, saying:
"A problem occurred with the stage set at the pre-recording site for today's 'M Countdown.' After examination, it was decided that Winter who suffered from poor physical condition would need to rest and recover her stability.
As a result, only Karina, Giselle, & Ningning will attend the live broadcast. Winter’s participation in their succeeding activities will be decided based on her recovery status.”
M Countdown also released its side, saying:
"During the pre-recording of the artists appearing on 'M Countdown', a fire broke out when a fireworks burst into the set located at the corner of the stage. The initial fire was detected and extinguished immediately. At the same time, the artist and the audience were evacuated off the stage."
Mnet then attested to fans:
"It has been confirmed that there were no injuries in this fire. All sets of 'M Countdown' are subject to flameproofing treatment, and we will carefully re-examine the maintenance conditions to prevent the same problem from recurring."
The members also took to Bubble to talk about the incident and thank and at the same time apologize to fans who were surprised by the turn of events.
Karina said:
"I'm so glad no one got hurt. I'm so, so thankful that (MYs) came from early in the morning to support me. Thanks to you, the first broadcast was so energetic."
NingNing then bowed her head, adding:
"I'm so sorry that the situation had to turn out like this. I'll let Minjeong (Winter) know that everyone is very worried! I'll take good care of Minjeong unnie. Don't worry."
Lastly, Giselle said:
"Personally, I feel a bit sad about the stage today. But everyone's health comes first."
READ MORE: aespa Winter Undergoes Surgery Due To Collapsed Lung + SM Entertainment Confirms
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
