SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of - K-pop superstar group BTS has cancelled a series of planned concerts in Seoul in April due to concerns about a soaring viral outbreak in South Korea.

The band's management agency said Friday: “We regret to announce that the BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR ... has been cancelled.”

A statement from Big Hit Entertainment says the band was supposed to perform on April 11-12 and April 18-19 at Seoul's Olympic Stadium.

It said the COVID-19 “outbreak has made it impossible at this time to predict the scale of the outbreak during the dates of the concert in April.”

The coronavirus that causes the new illness has infected more than 2,000 people and killed 13 others in South Korea in the largest outbreak outside mainland China.