After a blind item surfaced that four famous Kpop idols were spotted in Itaewon during the government's recommended social distancing period, BTS' Jungkook, ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo, SEVENTEEN's Mingyu and NCT Jaehyun were revealed to be the celebrities involved. The artists reportedly received tests for COVID-19.
A report by Dispatch confirmed that BTS' Jungkook, ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo, SEVENTEEN's Mingyu, and NCT Jaehyun were in the district during the social distancing period from April 24 to May 6. The four idols were spotted hanging out at an Itaewon bar on the night of April 25 until the morning of April 26.
It can be recalled that South Korea's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures recommended that anyone who visited entertainment facilities between April 24 and May 6 stay on home quarantine after one of the patients recently found positive of COVID-19 was confirmed to have visited bars in the Itaewon district. The patient reportedly visited Itaewon clubs on May 2 and was confirmed the positive of the disease on May 6.
Jungkook, Cha Eun Woo, Mingyu and Jaehyun reportedly hung out in a restaurant and two bars during their recent outing.
After confirming with the idols, their agencies released public apologies for their lapses in monitoring the idols' activities, Soompi reported
Big Hit Entertainment, in its statement, acknowledged their lapse in informing the public about Jungkook's activities when they were initially asked about the matter. They said that Jungkook's visit to Itaewon took place before the first confirmed case and that the artist adhered to the government recommendation to take a COVID-19 test.
Jungkook showed no symptoms of COVID-19 and tested negative of the virus.They expressed their apologies for Jungkook's failure to faithfully follow the social distancing efforts and vowed to be more vigilant in its implementation in the future.
Pledis Entertainment, under which SEVENTEEN's Mingyu is signed, also apologized on behalf of their artist. They said that after confirming Mingyu's visit to Itaewon, he voluntarily got himself tested for COVID-19 even though he was not showing symptoms of the disease. He too, tested negative and is now in self-isolation and adhering to the protocols of personal hygiene.
Fantagio Entertainment also issued an apology to the public for Cha Eun Woo's visit to Itaewon. They assured fans that he did not visit any of the locations that recently became a problem in early May. He also tested negative of COVID-19.
NCT's Jaehyun also tested negative of COVID-19 and penned a handwritten apology to fans along with SM Entertainment's statement.In his letter, Jaehyun apologized for disappointing the fans because of his actions, and also apologized to the people who may have been inconvenienced by his lapse in judgment, All Kpop reported.
