Confirmed Gwangju DJ Center Employee Concealed Visit to Entertainment Bar... Authorities on Alert

Entertainment bar worker contacts 'Gwangju 232' patient... Tests positive after 2 weeks
Mayor Lee Yong-seop and staff also tested after contact

A closure notice is posted on June 22 at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju, where a COVID-19 confirmed case occurred. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Park Hee-eun] An employee of the Gwangju Kim Dae-jung Convention Center (DJ Center), the largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) institution in Honam, was confirmed positive for COVID-19 after visiting a nightlife establishment where a confirmed case had been reported, raising alarms.

According to Gwangju City on the 22nd, DJ Center employee A (Gwangju case number 261) was confirmed positive for COVID-19 the previous day.

A was a contact of a nightlife establishment worker in the Sangmu district (Gwangju case number 232) who was confirmed positive on the 16th. It was confirmed that A had visited the nightlife establishment where case 232 works earlier this month.

He did not get tested for about two weeks and was only tested belatedly after being classified as a contact of case 232 the day before.

The city expanded the investigation period to early this month while checking the movements and contacts of case 232 and identified A as a contact.

Considering the long time elapsed since A visited the nightlife establishment, the city is expanding the investigation period and scope.

On the 17th, the city confirmed that aides to Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop, Gwangju City Council Chairman Kim Yong-jip, and Gwangju Superintendent of Education Jang Hwi-guk, who attended the "Kim Dae-jung Democracy, Human Rights, and Peace Forum" held at the center, had contact with A at the event and tested all of them. All tested negative.

The city is identifying contacts of A among attendees of the "120 Years of the Democratic Journey of Korea Exhibition" held at the center since the 17th.

In the past week, the center hosted two exhibitions and six meetings.

A Gwangju city official explained, "A visited the nightlife establishment before the confirmed case there was reported, and was classified as a contact during the process of expanding the investigation period. The mandatory reporting period is until the 23rd, so it needs to be examined whether A violated the reporting obligation by being confirmed positive before that without getting tested."

The city has issued an administrative order requiring visitors who have been to nightlife establishments in the Sangmu district since the 6th to undergo mandatory testing by the 23rd.

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