On May 16, it was reported that aespa had to cancel their comeback stage due to a fire that occurred during pre-recording. This caused even more concern when Winter, who is already dealing with pneumothorax, complained of poor conditions on set.
As reported by the Korean media outlet JoyNews24 on the 16th, a fire erupted this morning in the filming studio located within the Sangam CJ ENM Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
According to reports, the accident was caused by a malfunction on the filming set. As a result, aespa, who were scheduled to pre-record at the time, had to cancel due to their deteriorating physical condition.
Winter, who had recently undergone pneumothorax surgery, was exposed to a lot of smoke and began feeling unwell. This was a cause for concern, as this condition is likely to recur if exposed to an unhealthy environment.
As reported by both MYs and staff members who were present at the venue, the fire was caused by the use of fireworks during the pre-recording. The inadequate setup on ‘M Countdown’ was also identified as one of the contributing factors to the accident.
According to witnesses, aespa had only filmed twice before being asked to leave and re-enter when the fire broke out. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported.
Today, it is planned for aespa to showcase their newest song, “Supernova”which was released on May 13th. This track is one of the two title tracks from aespa’s upcoming debut album, “Armageddon”which will be revealed on the 27th.
After the incident, SM Entertainment issued its official statement, stating:
“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.”
Additionally, M Countdown issued a statement of their own, stating:
“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.”
Subsequently, Mnet confirmed 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 group also utilized Bubble to discuss the incident, expressing gratitude and simultaneously apologizing to fans who were caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.
Karina stated:
“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.”
After that, NingNing lowered her head and included:
“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.”
Finally, Giselle stated:
“Personally, I feel a bit sad about the stage today. But everyone’s health comes first.”
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