[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) that occurred in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, sparked controversy after visiting a gay club located in Itaewon, Seoul, and has come forward to clarify the situation.
According to the Kukmin Ilbo on the 7th, the confirmed patient, Mr. A, apologized in a post on his social network service (SNS), stating, "Despite the fact that COVID-19 has not yet ended, my travel and club visits during the holiday period were undeniably my fault."
He added, "I would like to address the additional rumors and speculations that seem to be circulating," explaining, "I traveled and visited clubs while asymptomatic, and symptoms began to appear from the evening of the 2nd."
He continued, "I visited the club through an introduction by an acquaintance," and said, "Since I visited the club out of curiosity, I did not stay for a long time. The clubs include those for sexual minorities, clubs for foreigners, and general bar-type clubs."
Finally, he requested, "Please refrain from spreading rumors or making speculative assumptions about me," and said, "I will do my best to cooperate thoroughly with the epidemiological investigation to help identify the infection route as much as possible."
According to Yongin City, Mr. A returned home by car around 10 p.m. on the 1st, left his house again around 11 p.m., and returned by taxi at 4:40 a.m. on the 2nd. It was reported that Mr. A stated to the quarantine authorities that he developed fever and diarrhea symptoms after visiting three clubs, including the Itaewon K Club. The K Club Mr. A visited is a well-known gay club in Itaewon.
The club posted on Facebook on the 6th, stating, "We disinfect the inside of the club daily on all business days, conduct temperature checks upon entry, maintain a visitor log including fever status and overseas travel history, and require mandatory hand sanitization and mask-wearing confirmation upon re-entry; however, the confirmed patient’s movements were still exposed." They also requested, "Please refrain from speculative rumors and disclosing personal information about the confirmed patient."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
