The '2024 SBS Entertainment Awards,' which had been canceled due to the tragic Jeju Air accident, has been rescheduled and will take place on Lunar New Year.

According to an OSEN report on January 2, SBS has decided to hold the awards ceremony, originally scheduled for December 31, on January 29. The event will still be hosted by Jun Hyun Moo, Lee Hyun Yi, and Jang Do Yeon.

January 29 coincides with Lunar New Year’s Day, making this the first time an end-of-year awards ceremony transitions into a New Year celebration. SBS explained that they wanted to observe the national mourning period, designated from December 29 to January 4, to honor the victims of the recent tragedy. As a result, the awards ceremony was postponed to the Lunar New Year holiday.

SBS finalized the new date after coordinating the schedules of the attending celebrities and the hosts. Despite the unexpected adjustment, the MCs—Jun Hyun Moo, Lee Hyun Yi, and Jang Do Yeon—are reported to have rearranged their commitments to ensure minimal disruption.

With this, SBS will conclude its year-end festivities a month later, following the Drama Awards on December 21 and the Gayo Daejeon music festival on December 25. Notably, the rescheduled Entertainment Awards will be the first-ever Lunar New Year awards ceremony in the history of Korean broadcasting.

The spotlight is on the nominees for the Grand Prize (Daesang), which include Yoo Jae Suk, Jun Hyun Moo, Shin Dong Yup, Lee Sang Min, Seo Jang Hoon, Lee Hyun Yi, and Kim Jong Kook. Anticipation is high to see who will take home the prestigious award this year. Last year, Tak Jae Hoon won the Daesang, while Yoo Jae Suk surprisingly went unawarded across the three major broadcasting networks, raising expectations for a possible comeback this year.

On December 29, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, collided with a localizer facility near the runway at Muan International Airport while attempting to land. The crash resulted in the rescue of two crew members but tragically claimed the lives of 179 people.

The South Korean government declared a national mourning period from December 29 to January 4 at noon to honor the victims. In response, most broadcasters suspended entertainment programming and shifted to special news coverage. The three major terrestrial networks postponed or canceled scheduled awards shows, opting to record and broadcast them at a later date.

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