[Comprehensive] '97 Moim' Jungkook, Cha Eun-woo, Mingyu, Jaehyun Apologize for Itaewon Visit "Deeply Reflecting"

BTS Jungkook and ASTRO Cha Eun-woo / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] BTS Jungkook, Seventeen Mingyu, ASTRO Cha Eun-woo, and NCT Jaehyun apologized for visiting entertainment bars in Itaewon, Seoul during the social distancing period. They subsequently underwent COVID-19 testing and were all confirmed negative.

On the morning of the 18th, Dispatch reported that the '97 Group' members Jungkook, Mingyu, Cha Eun-woo, and Jaehyun visited two restaurants and entertainment venues in Itaewon from the evening of April 25 to the early morning of April 26 during the Golden Holiday (April 24 to May 5).

Regarding this, BTS's agency BigHit Entertainment stated, "Jungkook visited a restaurant and bar in Itaewon with acquaintances on the evening of April 25. He voluntarily underwent testing at a screening clinic and was confirmed negative," adding, "The artist himself is currently deeply reflecting on not fully participating in the nationwide social distancing efforts."

On the same day, ASTRO's agency Fantagio also confirmed, "Cha Eun-woo visited Itaewon on April 25," and apologized, saying, "We are sorry for causing concern by failing to uphold the promise of 'social distancing' due to our management negligence."

They added, "At a time when all citizens are practicing social distancing, the artist's visit near Itaewon was a reckless act. The artist himself is deeply reflecting on not fully committing to social distancing efforts."

Seventeen Mingyu. Photo by Mingyu Instagram

Seventeen's agency Pledis also acknowledged Mingyu's visit to Itaewon, stating, "He deeply reflects on his wrongful behavior for not adhering to social norms during the government's social distancing period," and added, "Fearing harm to others, he voluntarily underwent COVID-19 testing at a screening clinic and, after receiving a negative result, has been strictly following self-quarantine and personal hygiene guidelines."

They continued, "Our agency also deeply regrets failing to properly manage our artist, which led to this incident," and apologized again, saying, "To prevent such incidents in the future, our company will pay special attention to raising awareness and ensuring our artists strictly follow personal hygiene rules and social distancing."

On the morning of the 6th, Jaehyun of the group NCT 127 attended the opening ceremony of the 'Let's Join the Hope Donation Relay Campaign' to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, held at COEX Mall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

NCT's agency SM Entertainment stated, "Jaehyun visited a restaurant and bar in Itaewon with friends on April 25. However, he did not visit the specific club involved in the issue, and this was seven days before confirmed cases visited Itaewon," adding, "Jaehyun voluntarily underwent COVID-19 testing after the Itaewon club-related cluster infection spread and tested negative."

The agency further said, "Jaehyun deeply reflects on not being cautious during a period when everyone should refrain from social gatherings and practice social distancing," and added, "Our agency also should have guided and managed the artist to strictly observe social distancing even during personal time. We sincerely apologize for our shortcomings."

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