66 Confirmed Cases After 30,000 Attend 'Heumppeok Show', Impact on Yeosu Case Surge?..."Difficult to Conclude"

66 Confirmed Cases After Heumbbeok Show
Health Authorities Plan Preemptive Testing for 28,000 Attendees

On the afternoon of the 17th last month, audiences waiting to enter singer Psy's concert 'Psy Humppok Show 2022' held at Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The number of new COVID-19 cases in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, where singer Psy's 'Hmph Show' was held, has reached the 1,000s. This marks a four-digit case count for the first time in 120 days.

According to health authorities on the 10th, the number of new confirmed cases in Yeosu on the previous day (the 9th) was 1,269. This exceeded 1,000 for the first time in four months since April 12 (1,138 cases).

Yeosu had consistently maintained new case numbers in the 200-500 range but has shown a sharp increase in August. In particular, the number of confirmed cases on the 9th appears to have doubled compared to the day of the Hmph Show performance on the 6th. Specifically, the numbers were 6th (627 cases) → 7th (341 cases) → 8th (903 cases) → 9th (1,269 cases). Because of this, there are claims that the large-scale event, which gathered about 30,000 people, influenced the spread.

However, health authorities find it difficult to definitively establish a direct correlation between the surge in COVID-19 cases in Yeosu and the concert. This is because the spread of COVID-19 is already intensifying nationwide, and the trend in case increases is similar to other cities and provinces.

So far, 66 confirmed cases in Jeollanam-do have been reported among those who attended Psy's concert in Yeosu. After testing positive, they submitted self-reported epidemiological investigation forms. Although health authorities cannot confirm whether infections occurred at the venue, they consider the possibility of additional infections to be high. Accordingly, health authorities plan to send text messages to about 28,000 attendees, guiding them to get tested.

Meanwhile, the 'Hmph Show' has been touring nationwide since July 9, starting in Incheon, followed by Seoul, Suwon, Gangneung, Yeosu, Daegu, and Busan. Since the performance involves spraying large amounts of water, concerns were raised about vulnerability to infection, but Psy's team stated they would comply with prevention measures by providing one waterproof mask and three KF94 masks.

However, as reports of COVID-19 infections after attending the Hmph Show have been posted online one after another, health authorities have begun an investigation. Park Young-jun, head of the epidemiological investigation team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said on the 26th of last month, "We are aware of the situation," and "We are investigating the details."