'Jung Kook, Cha Eun-woo, Jae Hyun, Mingyu' Covid-19 controversial idol

The reality of "Lee Tae-won Idol," which has recently been rumored, has been confirmed. Idols gathered in Itaewon are the mainstay of the "97-born gathering." "BTS" Jungkook, "ASTRO" Cha Eun-woo, "NCT" Jaehyun and "SEVENTEEN" Mingyu.

Now, let me introduce why they are in trouble in Korea.

Itaewon Club Covid-19 Group Infectious Case Occurred

A Covid-19 mass infection occurred at a number of clubs located in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, during the golden holiday period from April 30 to May 5, 2020.

Entering May 2020, the Republic of Korea has entered a situation in which the report of new infections in Covid-19 has rapidly decreased to a single-digit daily level, and new confirmed cases have also entered a state of recovery due to the high proportion of overseas inflows, not regional outbreaks. As a result, Korea's quarantine was promoted at home and abroad as a best practice (also known as "K-defense"), and Korean cases were also known through major foreign media around the world. Although some easing of social distance was announced at the meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on April 19, it was recognized as a major obstacle to quarantine as many vacationers moved during the holiday period from Buddha's Birthday on April 30 to Children's Day on May 5.

On May 7, 2020, it was confirmed that Yongin No. 66 confirmed to be a local infected person visited Itaewon Club during the holiday season, and on May 8, not only one confirmed patient but also a group infection occurred around Itaewon Club Street during the holiday period. It was also confirmed that there were 54 confirmed cases (including 2nd and 3rd infections) from Itaewon Club on May 10, more than 80 people on May 11, and more than 100 people on May 12, making it clear that a large-scale mass infection occurred around the Seoul metropolitan area. As a result, it has failed to overcome the critical crisis of ending Corona-19 in Korea, leading to concerns that the second pandemic may become a reality. Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, where the incident occurred, was a representative downtown area in the Seoul metropolitan area, and an infectious disease bomb was dropped in the middle of the metropolitan area, which is concentrated with more than 25 million people, about half of the population of Korea.

The existing quarantine system has limitations

Previously, there was a homogeneity of infectious groups such as the same congregation, local work, and residents of the same facility, but club users had no clear way to group.

Unlike previous cases of infection at other entertainment facilities, the spread has increased in a short time, with clubs having problems where people enter and play in cramped spaces all at once. 

Club users were scattered across the country, confirming the emergence of confirmed patients not only in the Seoul metropolitan area but also in Busan and Jeju, and infection through military officials working for the Ministry of National Defense was also confirmed. A majority of club users were very uncooperative in complying with quarantine rules, including not wearing masks and falsely writing visitor records.

Some sexual minority club users did not respond to the quarantine authorities' request for cooperation due to concerns over the outings and hid into the blind spot of management. Due to the nature of Itaewon, there is a high possibility of foreign infections, but it is also difficult to trace them.

Another problem is that club users are young in their 20s and 30s, so the rate of asymptotic infections is very high in the 30 percent range, and there is a high possibility of a "no sound propagation" that spreads the infection to nearby contacts without even knowing the infection.

In cooperation with local governments and police, the quarantine authorities began a full investigation of all visitors to the club during the period, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government began to compile information on most of the 5,500 visitors and conduct a full inspection on May 10, just three days after the incident was identified.

The group infection was reoccurring despite the fact that the risk of group infection was fully learned through the Shincheonji mass infection and several warnings of infection vulnerability in multi-populated facilities such as clubs were warned, and that it was not an inevitable case of spread of infection due to livelihood activities, and that some blind people were forced to refrain from outside activities and prevent entertainment while causing inconvenience.

Under these circumstances, the fact that idols visited Itaewon was a great disappointment to the public.

Let's go back to the situation on April 25th.

Saturday, April 25th. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reiterated the importance of keeping distance.

"The biggest danger signal in the Corona 19 response is vague expectations and carelessness, 'I'm going to be okay,' 'this time or so.'" 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not let go of the tension. "Silent radio waves can easily and explode at any time," he said, asking for voluntary participation.

And on that day, four idol groups representing K-pop (BTS) gathered in Itaewon, including "BTS" Jungkook, "ASTRO" Cha Eun-woo, "NCT" Jaehyun and "SEVENTEEN" Mingyu). He spent the beginning of the Golden Week (April 24 to May 5) in Itaewon. It is from the evening of the 25th to the dawn of the 26th.

Jungkook, Cha Eun-woo, Jae-hyun and Ming-yu traveled to two Itaewon restaurants and entertainment facilities. Of course, this was when 'Chorona 19' was on a lull. It can be judged with some ease.

The problem is, how to deal with it afterwards. On the 5th, the spread of the area from the Itaewon club began. Following the second and third rounds, there were even cases of fourth radio waves.

The Central Defense Countermeasures Headquarters is also on alert. "People who visited Itaewon entertainment facilities from April 24 to May 6 should refrain from going out and stay at home," he said.

Jungkook, Cha Eun-woo, Jae-hyun and Ming-kyu were diagnosed with "Korona 19." The results are all negative, provided that you must be careful for at least two weeks (until May 10) when considering the incubation period.

For example, Cha started her comeback activities for "ASTRO." He appeared on "Cultwo Show" and "Hidden Track" on the 7th. It performed "Music Bank" and "Show! Music Core" on Tuesday and Tuesday, respectively.

In Jae-hyun's case, he continued his 'Inkigayo' MC career. It went live on the 26th of last month and on the 3rd and 10th of last month. Jung-kook and Ming-kyu had no official (external) schedule.

In fact, in the case of B entertainment facilities where the '97 gathering' members were heard, the ban was issued. This is the middle form of a bar and a club. It is not easy to keep a distance due to its high density.

His agency's complacent response is also subject to criticism. When rumors of "Lee Tae-won Idol" were raised, some of the agencies remained "private" or "unconfirmed." No brakes were placed on group and individual activities.

The essence of Itaewon idols is not whether or not they participate in "streeting." "Have you gone or not?" is a consumptive argument. At the heart of the matter, complacency. At the same time, it is irresponsible. Not being revealed is not the best.