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| Singer PSY is set to hold a series of water-drenched concerts this summer. Courtesy of P Nation |
By Dong Sun-hwa
With Korea experiencing a severe drought, a growing number of people are questioning whether it is appropriate to organize summer festivals that use a massive amount of water for entertainment purposes.
Singer PSY, who was catapulted to global fame with his 2012 hit "Gangnam Style," is scheduled to hold a series of water-drenched concerts beginning from July 9. His signature "Summer Swag" shows, which could not take place for nearly three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held in eight cities including Seoul, Busan, Daegu and Suwon until Aug. 27.
The news excited numerous pandemic-weary people, who were looking forward to attending PSY's highly energetic concerts that attracted about 20,000 people per show in the past. But quite a few people are raising voices of concern that the singer's concerts will waste water while Korea is grappling with the water shortage. In April, PSY revealed on MBC talk show "Radio Star" that he used around 300,000 liters of drinking water for each concert to splash on concertgoers and himself.
"I think PSY has to reconsider using such a huge amount of water right now," an online user commented. "Water is not a must for a concert."
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| A scene from PSY's 2018 concert / Korea Times file |
Korea is currently going through a drought, with the total precipitation nationwide from January to May standing at only 160.7 millimeter, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This is only 52 percent of the average precipitation level for a normal year. This below-normal rainfall has caused a shortage of agricultural water, driving up the prices of agricultural products. According to Statistics Korea, the price of a potato saw an increase of 32.1 percent from the same period last year.
PSY's upcoming shows are not the only target of criticism. Other festivals such as Water Bomb Seoul 2022 (June 24-26), Songkran Music Festival (July 9-10) and Sinchon Water Gun Festival (July 30-31) have also sparked controversy for their "unnecessary use of water." In particular, Songkran Music Festival, which celebrates the traditional Thai New Year's Day with water fights, will reportedly use 1 million liters of water this time.
Actress Lee El, who is best known for her role in the 2017 tvN series "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," is also critical of these events.
"I hope 300 tons of water for the upcoming Water Bomb concert could be released into the Soyang River," she tweeted, Sunday. The Soyang River in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, is crucial for the water supply for the Seoul metropolitan area, but its water level has been falling due to the drought.
Some people, however, insist that the water to be used for the upcoming festivals has nothing to do with farming.
"PSY will be using drinking water, not agricultural water," an internet user wrote. "Even if he does not use any water for his shows, this is unlikely to help farmers."
Another agreed, saying, "If water festivals are the problem, shouldn't we also blame the companies that operate water parks for wasting water?"
The organizers of the upcoming festivals have not yet commented on the issue.
