"BTS Allowed but Blackpink Not?" Foreign Media Mock 'Full of Holes' Gym Quarantine Guidelines... Owners 'Frustrated'

Government "Maintain indoor gym music speed at 100~120bpm" guideline faces 'desk administration' criticism
BBC and other foreign media mock "Lively music perceived as a risk for epidemic spread"
Health authorities clarify "Not desk administration... guideline made in consultation with the field"
Some gym owners plan to join the nationwide self-employed emergency committee protest on the 14th

Members are walking for exercise at a gym in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] "How can you exercise while listening to ballads?" "Why restrict treadmills but allow cycles?"

As the fourth wave of COVID-19 intensifies, criticism is mounting over the gym quarantine guidelines implemented as part of the Level 4 social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area, being labeled as "desk administration." While health authorities have stated they will improve the guidelines if there are difficulties in compliance on-site, gym owners are protesting, calling them "ineffective quarantine rules."

According to the Level 4 social distancing enforcement plan announced by the government on the 9th, to prevent droplets and sweat splashes, indoor gyms must maintain music tempo between 100 and 120 bpm (beats per minute). Treadmill speed is limited to 6 km/h or less, and shower facilities are prohibited.

In particular, there was an outpouring of dissatisfaction regarding the music tempo restriction. Critics argue that the government's measures do little to help actual quarantine efforts.

Park, in his 30s, who visits the gym 3 to 4 times a week, said, "Before, they usually played exciting idol songs or dance music at the gym, but suddenly ballads were played, which felt very discouraging," adding, "Anyway, everyone listens to music with earphones on," describing the current gym atmosphere.

He continued, "Everyone is accustomed to exercising while wearing masks, and partitions are installed between treadmills," and said, "I think gyms are safer than restaurants or cafes where masks are removed."

Gym trainer A also expressed, "Droplets or sweat splashes vary depending on individual exercise capacity and breathing volume," and lamented, "I’m not sure if limiting music tempo will have any (quarantine) effect."

These quarantine measures have even become a subject of ridicule in foreign media. On the 12th (local time), the UK’s The Guardian published an article titled "No Permission to Dance," reporting that "Korean health authorities banned music above a certain tempo in indoor sports facilities, perceiving lively music as a risk for spreading the epidemic." The title references the popular boy group BTS’s new song "Permission to Dance," mocking the effectiveness of the quarantine measures.

The British BBC compared the tempos of BTS and girl group BLACKPINK’s songs, sarcastically stating, "BLACKPINK fans might suffer more than BTS fans." BBC analyzed that "BTS’s hit songs 'Butter' and 'Dynamite' range between 110 and 115 bpm, which is safe under Level 4 social distancing. However, most BLACKPINK songs are around 130 bpm."

Criticism was also raised over ambiguous quarantine guidelines. While treadmill speed is limited to 6 km/h or less, there is no restriction on cycles, which are also aerobic equipment. Additionally, although shower facilities in indoor gyms are banned, shower facilities at swimming pools and golf courses remain available, sparking fairness debates.

B, a gym manager in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, said, "We are an indoor (sports facility), but our shower facilities are all single-use, so they are actually safer," and questioned, "Who would come to exercise if they have to listen to slow songs and can’t even shower?"

Oh Sung-young, president of the National Health Club Owners Association, also criticized in an interview with YTN’s "The News," saying, "Unless you go and see, there’s no way to know if someone is running at 6 km/h or 7 km/h on the treadmill. I don’t know how we are supposed to check and enforce this one by one. It’s a situation that’s completely incomprehensible."

As criticism of indoor gym quarantine measures continued, health authorities responded. On the 13th, Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, attending the National Assembly’s Administrative and Safety Committee plenary session, stated, "If exercise speeds or other restrictions are excessive or difficult to comply with, we will discuss and correct them."

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, also said on the same day, "If feedback from on-site inspections indicates that these quarantine rules are not being followed or are difficult to comply with, adjustments may be made."

He strongly refuted the criticism of desk administration, explaining, "Rather than enforcing forced business suspensions or time restrictions as before, these guidelines were created in consultation with the field under the principle of allowing operation according to on-site conditions," and added, "They are quarantine rules developed after listening to related associations and field opinions."

Despite the government’s willingness to improve quarantine guidelines, the anger of indoor sports facility operators such as gym owners has not subsided. They claim that quarantine measures such as banning shower facility use and restricting business hours have hindered gym operations.

In protest against the government’s quarantine rules, they plan to participate in a late-night vehicle demonstration organized by the National Emergency Countermeasures Committee for Self-Employed Businesses Responding to COVID-19 (Emergency Committee) around Jongno and Yeouido at 11 p.m. on the 14th.

Oh Sung-young, president of the National Health Club Owners Association, urged, "Since this week, gym users have already decreased by more than half," and demanded, "We oppose government policies that force unilateral damage any longer. Please promptly execute compensation for losses suffered by self-employed businesses affected by the metropolitan area gathering ban."

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