Even though they aren't able to tour at the moment, some K-pop groups are still finding ways to stay in touch with their fans abroad. Through the Korean Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi, K-pop bands Astro, Imfact, BIG, April, Dongkiz, and D-Crunch have sent across messages of support and positivity during the global <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/uae/coronavirus">Covid-19</a> crisis while also wishing their fans in the region Ramadan Kareem. Groups such as BIG, Imfact and D-Crunch are no strangers to the UAE as they've previously met fans and held performances in the country on separate occasions last year. BIG has even recently released a track about the pandemic titled <em>Corona Song</em> in which they sing in Arabic. Before the coronavirus outbreak, two big K-pop events were set to take place at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena: K-pop Super Concert and Music Bank in Dubai on March 20 and 21. However, they were forced into postponement due to the global pandemic. So what's next? Back In January, Park Yang-Woo, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in South Korea and Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, launched UAE-Korea Cultural Dialogue 2020 in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. For the second half of the year, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the UAE and KCC were preparing to hold a variety of events, including a K-pop festival at Etihad Arena and Yas Mall on November 4-7, a traditional Korean performance by the National Orchestra, a taekwondo demonstration team performance, and a Korean film festival. While they haven't been axed just yet, the schedule will depend on the status of the global pandemic.
