Emergency for K-pop Festival After Hong Kong Fire Tragedy? MAMA Awards Says 'Under Discussion'

Provided by Mnet Following the tragic apartment fire in Hong Kong on the 26th (local time) that resulted in significant casualties, attention has turned to whether the 2025 MAMA Awards will proceed as planned. The MAMA Awards, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the music channel Mnet, are scheduled to take place in Hong Kong, the event’s most frequently chosen host city, on the 28th and 29th. According to the music industry on the 27th, Mnet informed participating artists that it is 'fully aware of the seriousness of the situation and is currently discussing appropriate response measures for each sector.
' The company also stated, 'We will carefully review all matters related to the official response, event operations, artist performances, and award scripts, and share updates as soon as they are finalized. ' The 2025 MAMA Awards will be held at the newly completed Kai Tak Sports Park, which can accommodate approximately 50,000 standing attendees. Park Bo-gum and Kim Hye-soo will serve as hosts, while 25 stars—including Go Youn-jung, Shin Seung-hun, Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Kwang-soo, Im Si-wan, Jang Do-yeon, Jeon Yeo-been, Ju Ji-hoon, Cha Joo-young, and Hyeri—will participate as award presenters.
Notably, Michelle Yeoh, a Hong Kong native and the first Asian actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2022, will also serve as a presenter. The MAMA Awards’ signature collaboration stage will feature 27 teams, ranging from K-pop rookies to second-generation legends and Hong Kong artists. An official collaboration stage with the Netflix animation 'KPop Demon Hunters' is also planned.
K-pop artists will recreate the showdown between the 'Saja Boys' and 'HUNTR/X' from the animation live on stage. Meanwhile, the high-rise apartment fire in Hong Kong has left at least 44 people dead and 279 missing. According to Reuters and other sources, Hong Kong authorities raised the alert level to the highest, level 5, at 6:22 p.
m. the previous day.
This is the first time a level 5 alert has been issued since the 2008 Mong Kok nightclub fire, which resulted in four deaths and 55 injuries.
jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-ah Reporter