Announcer Choi Eun-kyung's photo of comedian Park Soo-hong's wedding celebration party posted on her Instagram. It has since been deleted. / Photo by Announcer Choi Eun-kyung Instagram
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Eleven celebrities gathered to take a congratulatory photo for comedian Park Suhong's wedding but were reported for violating COVID-19 quarantine rules. It is known that they came together to celebrate while recording the same entertainment program.
Announcer Choi Eunkyung posted a commemorative photo of Park Suhong's wedding celebration party on her Instagram on the 29th. In response to the criticism, Announcer Choi explained, "We all completed self-test kits in front of the studio, immediately wore masks, held a meeting, checked our temperature again before entering the studio, disinfected, and then took the photo."
However, the criticism did not subside. With the daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea recently recording over 1,000 continuously, and with confirmed cases emerging one after another in the broadcasting industry, gathering more than ten people without wearing masks was criticized as a careless act.
Announcer Choi deleted the post, but on the 30th, an online community post appeared stating that the cast members in the photo were reported to the Mapo District Office for violating quarantine rules.
The post author pointed out, "Since the '4th wave' of COVID-19, the metropolitan area still sees over 1,000 confirmed cases daily with no sign of decrease," and added, "In this serious situation where confirmed cases continue to occur in the broadcasting industry, I think there was a severe lack of awareness."
They continued, "I hope the Mapo District Office will propose stricter quarantine rules to the authorities to prevent further COVID-19 cases in the broadcasting industry," and strongly urged, "We strongly urge that all cast and production staff who took the group photo without wearing masks be fined according to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act."
Meanwhile, MBN's 'Sokpuli Show Dongchimi,' the program the cast members were filming at the time, issued an official statement that day, saying, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people regarding the group photo of the cast." They explained, "The recording that day was conducted after all members completed self-test kits according to the Korea Communications Commission's recommendations and confirmed all negative results. The recording was carried out under strict quarantine guidelines, including the installation of partitions."
They added, "The cast made a mistake by briefly removing their masks to take a commemorative photo immediately after adjusting their makeup for the recording," and stated, "All cast and production staff will undergo COVID-19 testing. In particular, we will strictly adhere to quarantine guidelines to ensure a safe filming environment with no moment of carelessness in the future."
According to the current Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, fines are exempted only when showing one's face is necessary for performances or broadcast appearances. Here, 'broadcast' refers only to broadcasts transmitted through broadcasting operators and does not include personal broadcasts such as YouTube. Also, even for official broadcasts, all filming-related personnel, including broadcasting station staff and audience members, must wear masks.
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