Itaewon Club COVID-19 Case Detected, KakaoBank Call Center Fully Closed

Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Linked to Itaewon Club... KakaoBank Call Center Staff Tested on 8th, Immediate Send-Home Order for All 16th Floor Employees and Disinfection... After Positive Result on 9th, Entire 4 Floors Closed and Sanitized

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) has taken preemptive measures to block community COVID-19 infections by closing and disinfecting all four floors of the KakaoBank call center building, where a confirmed case related to an Itaewon club occurred on the 9th, sending all employees home and implementing remote work.

The KakaoBank call center where the confirmed case worked is located on the 16th floor of the Korail Distribution building (612 Gukhoe-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu), where 72 employees were working.

This building, with 4 basement levels and 20 floors above ground, also housed KakaoBank call centers on the 12th, 14th, and 15th floors, with a total of 245 employees working across these three floors.

The confirmed case is a 23-year-old male residing in Dongjak-gu who visited King Club in Itaewon between midnight and 4 a.m. on the 2nd, and did not go to work from the 3rd to the 6th due to days off.

He then worked from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the 7th, underwent a COVID-19 test at Dongjak-gu Public Health Center on the 8th, and was confirmed positive on the 9th.

According to the on-site investigation by the district office, about 40 seats in the office where the confirmed case worked on the 7th were arranged in a staggered seating pattern, with approximately 18 people working at that time.

The confirmed case was engaged in KakaoTalk chat consultation rather than phone counseling and was found to have used the stairs on the 15th floor and the smoking room on the 3rd floor.

All employees in the office wore masks while working, with office spraying disinfection conducted about six times a day and full-floor disinfection once a week.

Additionally, fever and thermal imaging checks have been conducted at the entrances on the 1st and 16th floors, and staggered seating has been continuously implemented since the previous Guro call center incident.

Upon receiving notification of the test on the afternoon of the 8th from Dongjak-gu Public Health Center, the district immediately ordered early dismissal of employees working on the 16th floor KakaoBank call center where the confirmed case was found. Disinfection and sterilization were carried out on that floor at 4 p.m.

Furthermore, upon receiving the positive confirmation notification at 10 a.m. on the 9th, the district closed all floors where KakaoBank call centers operate, including the 12th, 14th, 15th, and 16th floors, completing disinfection and sterilization of all floors by 6:30 p.m.

All employees working at the KakaoBank call center will begin remote work for two weeks starting May 11.

The district has launched an epidemiological investigation into the confirmed case’s detailed movements and contacts and plans to promptly implement additional disinfection and follow-up measures based on the investigation results.

On the afternoon of the 10th, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il visited the KakaoBank call center office where the confirmed case was found to conduct an on-site inspection. Mayor Chae reviewed the call center’s response to the COVID-19 case and met with KakaoBank officials to urge compliance with measures based on the epidemiological investigation results.

Mayor Chae Hyun-il of Yeongdeungpo-gu stated, “It is very regrettable and unfortunate that such a situation has occurred during the implementation of social distancing in daily life and just before school reopening. We will prevent community infections and protect the lives and safety of residents through preemptive and swift actions.”

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