Singer and actress IU is temporarily halting activities for the second half of the year, postponing concerts and an album release after a worsening of her Eustachian tube dysfunction, an ear disease. Recently she has endured a difficult time as various controversies, malicious rumors, and news of a breakup were followed by health problems.
On the 20th, her agency EDAM Entertainment said "Recently we judged that IU's ear condition makes it difficult to proceed with a large-scale performance," and "considering her health as the top priority, we decided to adjust the Goyang stadium performance scheduled for September, subsequent concert dates and the release schedule for the sixth full-length album." It added, "There is little interference with daily life, but this is a decision to perform in optimal condition," and said it would fully support treatment and recovery.
IU also shared her feelings directly through a fan platform. She said, "My chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction has recently worsened," and "For several years I think I pushed myself for work without considering my condition. Recently symptoms have continued day and night for days at a time, and situations where I could not find my condition while singing repeated themselves."
She continued, "I managed to finish the recordings somehow, but experts said concerts involve a lot of activity and sweating, so they are too much for the time being," and apologized to fans, "I had planned a nationwide tour starting with the Goyang performance this year, and I am really sorry for seeming to ruin all of our second half of the year."
The album release of the sixth full-length record was also postponed along with the concert. IU promised, "I will focus on treatment so the wait does not become long and return as soon as possible in a healthy condition."
IU has had an unusually difficult year. The drama Perfect Crown was embroiled in controversy over historical verification, and IU, as the lead actor, apologized directly, saying "I should have been more careful." She was later embroiled in political issues and faced unreasonable demands from some netizens because of past advance donations.
Recently it was reported she ended a four-year public relationship with actor Lee Jong-suk. Malicious rumors and the spread of false information continued. The agency recently filed for discovery with a U.S. court against Meta to identify the identities of malicious commenters who spread false claims such as "IU is Chinese" and "an agent of Chinese capital," and took a hard-line response.
After a string of misfortunes ending with health problems that forced a postponement of activities, fans have sent IU messages of comfort. Fans sent messages of support such as "Nothing is more important than health," "I hope you don't feel sorry," "Please rest enough now and focus only on treatment," "We can wait anytime," and "It is enough that you return healthy," wishing her a speedy recovery.
[photo] OSEN DB
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