Mayor Park Won-soon: "All Entertainment Venues in Seoul Under Gathering Ban Until Separate Lifting Order" (Comprehensive)

27 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Related to Itaewon in Seoul... Over 1,300 Club Visitors Unreachable
"Social Distancing in Daily Life Does Not Mean Returning to Pre-COVID-19 Times"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] In response to the cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that started at clubs in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a ban on gatherings at all entertainment facilities including clubs, emotional pubs, colatecs, and room salons starting from the 9th. These facilities must immediately cease operations until a separate lifting order is issued, and violations will be subject to strict penalties.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon held an emergency briefing in the afternoon and stated, "A cluster infection of COVID-19 occurred at clubs in Itaewon, Yongsan, resulting in 27 confirmed cases in Seoul alone and 40 nationwide so far. We anticipate additional confirmed cases and therefore order the suspension of operations at all entertainment facilities."

The number of confirmed cases related to Itaewon clubs in Seoul was 11 as of 10 a.m. the previous day, but 16 more were added within a day. This figure includes not only the visitors to the clubs but also their family members and acquaintances. Nationwide, confirmed cases related to Itaewon clubs include 27 in Seoul, 7 in Gyeonggi, 5 in Incheon, and 1 in Busan.

Mayor Park explained, "This cluster infection occurred after 18 days with no local infections, during a clear downward trend, so it is a situation that requires renewed vigilance. Since the 7th, we have formed a rapid response team to try to block local spread early."

On the 8th, citizens are passing in front of the 'King Club' in Itaewon, Seoul, where a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) had visited. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

At this briefing, Mayor Park also publicly disclosed the names of the clubs visited by confirmed cases. From the 30th of last month to the 5th of this month, full testing and a two-week self-quarantine will be conducted for visitors to the King, Trunk, Queen, Soho, and HIM clubs in Itaewon, and those individuals are strongly urged to voluntarily undergo testing.

In particular, a significant portion of the lists created at these clubs has been found to contain inaccurate information, making it difficult to identify suspected infected individuals. About 1,300 people have not even been reachable by phone.

Mayor Park emphasized, "Out of 1,946 names on the entry lists, only 637 have been contacted, and the remaining 1,309 are unreachable and unconfirmed. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will work with the police to ensure these individuals undergo testing."

He also stressed that this measure was taken out of concern that the issue is not limited to some club visitors but could put all Seoul citizens at risk.

Mayor Park said, "Ahead of the holidays, we repeatedly urged citizens to practice responsible quarantine measures, especially asking young people to refrain from going to clubs despite the inconvenience, but the feared cluster infection occurred. Considering the inaccuracy of club lists, the fact that confirmed cases occurred on multiple dates, and that confirmed cases from Itaewon clubs also visited clubs in Sinchon, we judged that a mere recommendation to refrain from operating was insufficient and thus enforced a ban on gatherings."

He added, "Please deeply consider once again that social distancing does not mean returning to pre-COVID-19 times, and for the safety of yourself and our society, please diligently practice thorough daily quarantine measures."

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