TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — International stars such as K-pop singer CL and Dutch DJ R3hab will be unable to perform at the weekend’s S2O Taiwan festival because of confusion about COVID-19 regulations, organizers of the Aug. 27-28 event said Friday (Aug. 26).

According to the organizers, work permits and travel visas had been obtained for the foreign acts, but uncertainty about whether non-quarantine waivers had been approved or rejected had prevented some artists from boarding flights to Taiwan. CL, R3hab, and Dutch trap act Yellow Claw have been removed from the weekend lineup, but the organizers said they would continue to try and help other entertainers enter the country.

In a response to the announcement, the Ministry of Culture said that it reminded the organizers four times, beginning Aug. 18, but it wasn't until shortly before 8 p.m. on Aug. 24 that they submitted the required COVID-related documents, CNA reported. In addition, the information for 68 foreign citizens was not complete, while details about COVID prevention measures were not provided, and the relevant authorities had not been informed about the plans, according to the ministry.

As a result, the ministry decided to reject the applications for the foreign acts, and declined to pass the documents on to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) for further review, CNA reported.

Interest in the festival was reportedly high due to CL’s status as a top member of South Korean girl group 2NE1, and thanks to the release of a song by R3hab with Taiwan pop diva Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) in 2022 called “Stars Align.” The organizers said that at least 80 other acts and DJs would still perform live at the two-day event in Taipei.