Singer Song Gain's U.S. concert was belatedly revealed to have been postponed because of a visa issue.
According to agency JG Star on the 19th, Song Gain was scheduled to hold the concert "Gain Dal The Rise" at the Pechanga Theater in LA on the 14th–15th, but decided to postpone the show because the visa did not come through in time.
A JG Star official said, "We were unable to hold the concert because the required visa was not issued, and we are currently rescheduling the venue," adding, "Once the U.S. local venue operator sets the dates, we will apply for the visa again."
This is not the first time a Korean entertainer's performance has been postponed or canceled because of visa issues. Jazz vocalist Woong San said last year that the crossover group "Project Nanjang" pursued a U.S. performance, but it was scrapped because of some members' visa problems. The band Jaurim was scheduled to hold a concert in New York last year but postponed the show indefinitely, citing administrative delays.
In the past month, the New York Times (NYT) reported that in recent years visa application fees have increased and the Donald Trump administration raised barriers to visa issuance with measures such as entry bans, leading more foreign artists to give up performing in the United States.
Tinariwen, a rock band with many members from West African Mali, canceled its North American tour plans after the Trump administration classified 19 countries, including Mali, as subject to an entry ban. Early this year, the British theater troupe "Quarantine," which sought to participate in a theater festival in New York, had visa issuance denied for two staff members because they were from Nigeria.