KBS2’s long-running music program “Music Bank” will take an unusual two-week hiatus in June 2026, marking one of its rare broadcast suspensions in recent years. The network confirmed that the show will not air on June 19 and 26, asking viewers for understanding as the scheduling changes take effect.
The announcement caught the attention of K-pop fans who are used to the show airing every Friday at 5:05 pm KST.
According to Soompi, KBS simply stated, “‘Music Bank’ will not air on Friday, June 19 or 26, 2026. We ask for your generous understanding.” No additional reason was given for the extended hiatus, making it a notable gap for one of the most consistent Korean music chart acts.
The two-week break is particularly rare in the program’s history. Although “Music Bank” has previously adjusted its broadcast time for major global events such as the FIFA World Cup, it has often not been paused for multiple weeks in a row.
The Music Bank hiatus has rarely been seen since the 2002 World Cup
The only similar comparison dates back to the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup period, when scheduling shifts were also made for live sports coverage.
Earlier in the year, “Music Bank” also faced an unexpected cancellation due to a fire in South Korea, AllKPop reported.
At the time, KBS confirmed that the live broadcast would be replaced with a special pre-recorded episode of “Park Won-sook’s Live Together”. The program subsequently resumed normal airing after the emergency coverage period ended.
The fire situation that had led to the previous outage had caused serious concern nationwide. Large areas were affected and thousands of residents were evacuated as emergency response teams worked to control the spread.
The disaster prompted numerous changes in Korean television programming, including music and entertainment broadcasts.
“Music Bank,” currently hosted by actor Moon Sang Min and ILLIT’s Minju, has remained one of the most-watched weekly K-pop chart shows. Its absence, even temporary, is expected to shift focus to other music programs during the hiatus period.
