[Exclusive] Seventeen's Mingyu, who visited Itaewon club, tests negative for COVID-19... Reflecting on actions

Idol group SEVENTEEN member Mingyu / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Juhee] Mingyu, a member of the idol group Seventeen, has been embroiled in allegations of visiting the Itaewon area in Seoul during the 'social distancing' period, and his agency has acknowledged this and issued an apology.

Mingyu's agency, Pledis Entertainment, stated on the 18th, "Mingyu deeply reflects on his wrongful behavior for failing to adhere to social norms during the government's social distancing period," acknowledging the visit to Itaewon.

They added, "Following the recommendations of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, immediately after confirming the visit during the relevant period, although he showed no COVID-19 symptoms such as coughing or fever, he voluntarily underwent a COVID-19 test at a screening clinic out of concern for potentially harming others. After receiving a negative test result, he has been strictly following self-quarantine and personal hygiene guidelines."

The agency also said, "We deeply feel responsible for this incident as we failed to properly manage our artist," and added, "We sincerely apologize to the fans who have shown love and interest, causing them worry and concern. Going forward, our company will pay special attention to ensuring that our artists raise awareness about personal hygiene rules and social distancing and strictly adhere to these norms to prevent such incidents from happening again."

On the same day, a media outlet reported that 97-born peers Jungkook of BTS, Cha Eun-woo of ASTRO, Jaehyun of NCT, and Mingyu of Seventeen visited restaurants and two entertainment venues in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, from the night of the 25th to the early morning of the 26th during the 'social distancing' period last month.

It was later confirmed that all four underwent COVID-19 testing and received negative results, but controversy arose as some of them continued their activities, including appearing on broadcasts at the end of last month and early this month.

Full official statement from Pledis Entertainment

Hello, this is Pledis Entertainment.

First, we sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people regarding the reports about Seventeen member Mingyu's visit to Itaewon.

Mingyu deeply reflects on his wrongful behavior for failing to adhere to social norms during the government's social distancing period.

Also, following the recommendations of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, immediately after confirming the visit during the relevant period, although he showed no COVID-19 symptoms such as coughing or fever, he voluntarily underwent a COVID-19 test at a screening clinic out of concern for potentially harming others. After receiving a negative test result, he has been strictly following self-quarantine and personal hygiene guidelines.

We also deeply feel responsible for this incident as we failed to properly manage our artist.

We sincerely apologize to the fans who have shown love and interest, causing them worry and concern. Going forward, our company will pay special attention to ensuring that our artists raise awareness about personal hygiene rules and social distancing and strictly adhere to these norms to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Once again, we bow our heads and sincerely apologize.

Sincerely, Pledis Entertainment.

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