The Unmoving 2030 Generation... Hid Away Amid a Surge of COVID-19 Cases

Forced and Voluntary Closures of Businesses Around Gayhill
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Unusually Quiet Even at Regular Clubs... Human Traffic Drops in Lounges

Around 11 p.m. on the 8th, a quiet atmosphere lingered in an alley in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. At least 19 people had been confirmed positive by the evening of the previous day due to a COVID-19 cluster infection at an Itaewon club and subsequent family transmissions.
/Photo by Byungdon Yoo tamond@

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon and Yoo Byung-don] Around 11 p.m. on the 8th, a visit to an alley in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. This area, known as "Gay Hill," was enveloped in silence. All the establishments in the area, including gay clubs and gay bars, which are mainly frequented by sexual minorities, were closed.

After Patient A (29) from Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province, the 66th confirmed case, visited clubs and pubs in this area, a series of COVID-19 cluster infections occurred, leading most businesses to voluntarily decide to close. Normally bustling under bright neon signs with a steady flow of visitors, the area resembled a "ghost town" on this day. Only nearby residents occasionally passed through the alley. The King Club, Club Queen, and Trunk Club, which Patient A from Yongin had visited, were all firmly closed.

Mr. Lee (44), who runs a pub near the clubs where confirmed cases were reported, said, "I was expecting customers since this was the first weekend after social distancing shifted to everyday distancing, but it feels like a bolt from the blue." He added, "The COVID-19 situation has made life difficult as all the nearby clubs have closed, and now this has happened again, leaving me at a loss."

Around 11 p.m. on the 8th, a lounge bar in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was completely empty. At least 19 people had been confirmed positive by the previous evening due to a COVID-19 cluster infection at an Itaewon club and subsequent family transmissions.
/Photo by Seungyoon Song kaav@

On Friday night, the start of the weekend, Itaewon, which is usually packed with people, was eerily quiet. Most regular clubs were also closed. Some clubs had planned to continue operating until the government issued administrative orders recommending suspension, but anticipating the lack of customers, they all decided to close.

The P Lounge Bar, which is usually packed every weekend with customers waiting at least an hour to enter, was deserted. This popular venue, where reservations must be made weeks in advance to secure a good seat, had only one table occupied by two customers that night. Passersby occasionally peered inside, seemingly surprised by the unusual scene. Nearby G Lounge Bar and T Lounge Bar were in similar situations.

Park (23), an employee at a nearby pub, said, "I've never seen Itaewon like this before. I expected a decrease in customers after hearing about the confirmed case, but I didn't think it would be this severe."

At least 19 people have been confirmed positive due to a COVID-19 cluster infection at an Itaewon club and subsequent family transmissions. Meanwhile, one club in Itaewon remains firmly closed, voluntarily suspending operations.
/Photo by Song Seung-yoon kaav@

Meanwhile, as of the evening before, at least 19 people had been confirmed positive due to the COVID-19 cluster infection and subsequent family transmissions originating from the Itaewon clubs.

According to Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, and Chungbuk Province, as of 10 a.m. that day, 15 people had been confirmed positive related to the Itaewon clubs?11 in Seoul and 4 in Gyeonggi Province. Subsequently, additional cases were confirmed: Patient No. 7 in Jung-gu, Seoul; Patient No. 68 in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province; Patient No. 19 in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon; and Patient No. 14 in Cheongju, Chungbuk Province.

There are currently 12 confirmed cases related to the Itaewon clubs visited by Patient A (29), the 66th confirmed case from Yongin. All are males in their 20s to 30s. It is estimated that about 1,500 people visited the three clubs that the Yongin patient attended. This estimate is based on the visitor logs at the clubs, but there may be more who were not recorded in the logs.

It has been confirmed that Patient A from Yongin and other visitors did not wear masks inside the clubs on the day of their visits.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.