Channel Candy, the concert organizer, announced on their official social media that on May 19, 2025, they received a unilateral termination notice from the event host, Coupang Play, and discovered through other media that a ticket refund notice had been posted.
The organizer stated, "We have officially communicated our position to the host and are awaiting a response. We will respond responsibly to minimize confusion and rectify the situation. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to the concert."
Previously, on May 19, Coupang Play released an official statement saying, "Due to recent controversies, we have decided to cancel the 'YE Seoul Concert' scheduled for May 31." They also announced the immediate suspension of related merchandise sales.
The cancellation of Kanye West's concert by Coupang Play is linked to his recently released song. On May 8, West released a digital single titled 'Hail Hitler' on the anniversary of Europe's Victory Day in World War II, which has sparked significant backlash.
The controversial song includes lyrics such as "All my friends are Nazis. Hail Hitler," repeated over ten times, and samples a 1935 speech by Adolf Hitler at the end of the track.
Jim Burk, a representative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an American Jewish human rights organization, expressed strong regret in an interview with Billboard magazine, stating, "Releasing this song on a day commemorating the defeat of the Nazi regime is a clear hate speech."
Kanye West has faced similar controversies in the past. In 2022, he sparked outrage by stating in an interview that he "likes Hitler" and by releasing an image combining the Nazi swastika with the Star of David, a symbol of Judaism.