SS501 unit FIVE O ONE cancels entire Japan tour eight days out, blaming promoter

Key points

• FIVE O ONE, the unit formed by SS501 members Kim Hyun-joong, Heo Young-saeng and Kim Kyu-jong, has cancelled its entire Japan tour, which was to open in Tokyo on 11 September and run four dates across Tokyo, Kobe and Osaka.
• In an official notice on 3 September, agency HENECIA said the local promoter, baebae Entertainment, had failed to prepare adequately and that problems with communication and operations made staging the shows as planned impossible.
• Tickets already sold will be refunded in full through the original sellers, and the agency said it will establish the facts and take any legal action required.

FIVE O ONE, the unit formed to mark SS501's 20th debut anniversary by Kim Hyun-joong, Heo Young-saeng and Kim Kyu-jong, has seen its Japan tour scrapped entirely just eight days before the opening night. In a notice posted on its official website on 3 September, agency HENECIA announced the cancellation of every date of "2026 FIVE O ONE in JAPAN : Hoshi wo Matsu", which was to begin in Tokyo on 11 September before travelling to Kobe and Osaka.

HENECIA named the local promoter, baebae Entertainment, as the cause. The notice said that "during preparation for these performances, matters necessary to stage the shows repeatedly failed to progress smoothly, owing to the promoter baebae Entertainment's inadequate preparation and problems with its communication and operating systems." The agency added that it had continued to negotiate with the promoter and request the steps needed for the shows to go ahead as scheduled, but ultimately concluded that staging them properly was not possible.

The cancelled dates were not a small-scale run. According to reports, general sales for the Tokyo show ran from 29 August to 2 September, closing the day before the cancellation was announced, with seating grades from 33,000 yen for SS seats down to 17,000 yen for A seats. Tickets already purchased will be refunded in full through the original sellers, with each seller announcing its own refund schedule. HENECIA said it "takes this matter very seriously and will examine the relevant facts closely and take any legal action required."

FIVE O ONE announced their 20th-anniversary reunion with a Seoul concert in July last year and have since worked overseas, including in Japan. The tour had been prepared as a long-awaited return to Japanese fans, which is why the abrupt blanket cancellation has drawn a wave of disappointment.

Cancelled tour details

This was an overseas tour due to be staged in Japan, so it is not a run registered with Korea's KOPIS system. FIVE O ONE's Korean dates can be found through performance search.

What dates were cancelled?

"2026 FIVE O ONE in JAPAN : Hoshi wo Matsu" was scheduled as four performances, opening in Tokyo on 11 September before moving to Kobe and Osaka. Agency HENECIA announced the cancellation of all of them on 3 September, eight days before the opening night.

Why was the tour cancelled?

HENECIA pointed to the local promoter, baebae Entertainment. Its notice said that inadequate preparation by the promoter, together with problems in its communication and operating systems, meant the arrangements needed to stage the shows repeatedly failed to progress, and that the agency ultimately judged it impossible to hold the performances properly.

How will tickets already bought be refunded?

Tickets already sold will be refunded in full, in sequence, through the sellers they were bought from. The agency said each seller will announce its own refund schedule separately.

What action has the agency said it will take?

HENECIA said it takes the matter very seriously, and that it will examine the relevant facts closely and take whatever legal action is required.