Four K-pop idols were reported to have done club-hopping in Itaewon despite reminders of social distancing due to coronavirus - one of which is BTS's Jungkook.
Dispatch revealed on May 18 that male idols' Jungkook, NCT 127's Jaehyun, SEVENTEEN's Mingyu, and ASTRO's Eunwoo went to Itaewon on the night of April 25 'til the early morning of April 26, which were included on the dates that were reportedly crucial in the said location, according to KCDC.
Being one of the noted idols who went to the location, Big Hit Entertainment released an official statement to address the incident, which their talent is involved. The agency added that Jungkook tested negative of the virus.
Also, the company said, "The idol is immensely reflecting on neglecting his responsibility as a citizen to practice proper social distancing."
Here is the full statement:
"BTS member Jungkook explained his visit to Itaewon in Seoul. First and foremost, there are several media questions the previous week about Jungkook's visit in Itaewon. We are sorry for the delays in our response to the said problem.
It is true that Jungkook went to Itaewon, but during his visit, he did not engage inside the specified place where the confirmed case was noted to have come earlier in May. It was in the prior week when the first confirmed positive case in Itaewon. Adding to that, it would be best and proper that there is no need to disclose the idol's personal daily life publicly because we have already done our voluntary measures and inspections with regards to COVID-19 based on the guidelines of the government.
Still, this issue should not be an excuse, as it is not giving proper recognition of the importance of social distancing as the artist's label, as well as imposing more protection on the talent's privacy. We bow our head to apologize to anyone."
According to Big Hit Entertainment, they are doing their best to ensure that they will follow proper COVID-19 rules and reminders on social distancing and vows to prevent any events similar to it in the future.
In line with this issue, the three other idols' respective agencies released their official statements. Jaehyun's agency, SM Entertainment, has released theirs and also apologized for their talent's actions.
