Still 'Bulgeum' Going to Gangnam Clubs... COVID-19 Was Not There

Despite Overnight Rain, Club District Remains 'Bright Night' Amid COVID-19 Cluster Infection
Hundreds Waiting in Line Outside Club Opened on 8th... Dancing with Masks Down
ID Checks and List Writing Done, Verification Neglected, Quarantine Also 'Leaky'

On the 8th, when most businesses in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul decided to voluntarily close due to a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the club district in Gangnam, about 7 km away from here, remained bustling with young people despite the rainy and gloomy weather.
Photo by Song Seung-yoon kaav@

[Asia Economy reporters Song Seung-yoon and Yoo Byung-don] On the 8th, when most businesses in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, decided to voluntarily close due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cluster infections, the club scene about 7 km away in Gangnam was a completely different world. Despite concerns about cluster infections inside clubs and the gloomy weather with rain throughout the day, young people’s footsteps all headed toward the club lights.

Just past midnight on the 9th, the front of Gangnam’s R Club was crowded with young people enjoying “Bulgeum” (Friday night party). Coincidentally, this club had just opened and started operating the previous night. Perhaps due to the “opening buzz,” the number of people entering the club, including those waiting in line, seemed to be at least several hundred within an hour.

The sidewalk in front of the club was so packed with people waiting to enter, chatting in small groups, or smoking that one had to dodge around to barely pass through. People who appeared to be club staff frequently walked past the waiting line, urging mask-wearing and shouting for people to keep distance from the person in front, but that was only momentary. Many were seen taking off their masks to talk with friends or spitting on the street here and there.

The situation inside the club was even more serious. In the cramped space with no room to step, countless people gathered and danced, but many were noticeably not wearing masks. Even those wearing masks often pulled them down below their chins or threw them off as if feeling suffocated.

The nearby F Club was no different. Around 2 a.m. the same day, the front of F Club was bustling with young people waiting to enter despite the late hour. From the basement level 1 entrance to the outside of the club, a long line of people stretched out. In the lobby before entering the club, ID checks were being conducted. After the ID check, visitors wrote their personal information on a list, but there was no separate procedure to verify the authenticity. If false information was provided, it seemed practically impossible to properly identify visitors that day.

“Social distancing” inside this club also seemed like a story from another country. Some guests took off their masks and shouted, while others freely shared their drinks with others. The club staff only seemed to pay attention to mask-wearing and quarantine measures at the entrance, but did not strongly restrain people inside. A club official said that more than 1,000 people visited that day.

Shin Mo (22, female), who came to the club with friends, said, “Since the confirmed cases came from a gay club in Itaewon, it seems unrelated to here, so I came to hang out without much thought,” adding, “Anyway, if someone is going to get infected, they will no matter what.”

Meanwhile, at least 19 people had been confirmed infected by the evening of the previous day due to the COVID-19 cluster infection and family secondary infections originating from the Itaewon clubs.

According to Seoul City, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon City, and Chungbuk Province, as of 10 a.m. that day, 15 people had been confirmed infected in relation to the Itaewon clubs?11 in Seoul and 4 in Gyeonggi Province?but later additional confirmed cases were reported: patient number 7 in Jung-gu, Seoul; patient number 68 in Yongin, Gyeonggi; patient number 19 in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon; and patient number 14 in Cheongju, Chungbuk.

There are currently 12 confirmed cases related to the Itaewon clubs visited by Yongin patient number 66, A (29). All are men in their 20s to 30s. The estimated number of visitors to the three clubs visited by the Yongin patient is about 1,500. This estimate is based on the club visitor logs, but there may be more who were not recorded in the logs.

It was confirmed that visitor A and others did not wear masks inside the clubs on the day of their visit.