Girl group Le Sserafim’s meet-and-greet, scheduled for Sunday in Shanghai, has been called off due to “force majeure,” the event’s organizer MakeStar said Friday.

“The fan signing and photo event for Le Sserafim’s first single album ‘Spaghetti,’ which was scheduled to take place on Dec. 14, has been unavoidably canceled following careful discussions with multiple relevant authorities due to force majeure,” the organizer said in its press release.

The event was scheduled to be held in Shanghai, China.


“All orders paid in relation to the event will be fully refunded automatically through the system without the need for a separate refund request,” MakeStar said.

Some local media outlets reported Friday that, in recent weeks, concerts and fan events by Japanese artists and multinational K-pop groups featuring Japanese members have been canceled one after another in China. The reports attributed the trend to strained bilateral relations and the Chinese authorities’ tightening of restrictions on Japan-related activities.

Last month, fan meetings for JO1, a group composed of Japanese members, as well as concerts by Japanese singers, including Maki Ohguro, known for the theme song for the Japanese animation “One Piece” (1997-), were also canceled.

Le Sserafim is a five-member multinational girl group that debuted on May 2, 2022. Members Sakura and Kazuha are Japanese nationals.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]