A file photo of Koo Junhoe, a member of K-pop boy group iKON, provided by YG Entertainment
SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Koo Junhoe and Yoshi, members of K-pop boy groups iKON and TREASURE, respectively, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, their management agency said, as the country recorded more than 8,000 new infections for the first time.
“iKON’s Koo Junhoe was classified as a coronavirus patient in addition to three other members — Kim Jin-hwan, Song Yun-heong and Kim Dong-hyuk,” YG Entertainment said in a release.
Koo received a negative result in the initial test conducted Saturday. But he showed mild symptoms of a sore throat two days later and was confirmed to have the virus in another test, according to the agency.
The three other members of the six-piece group were confirmed to be COVID-19 positive Sunday, while the remaining two — Bobby and Jung Chan-woo — have tested negative.
Also on Tuesday, Yoshi, a Japanese member of TREASURE, also tested positive for the virus.
“Both Koo and Yoshi are fully vaccinated and now in good shape,” YG said.
A file photo of K-pop boy group TREASURE, provided by YG Entertainment
The new cases brought the number of YG-managed artists who were now coronavirus patients to six.
On Monday, Lee Seung-hoon, a member of boy group WINNER, received a positive test result.
“We will take all necessary measures to restore the health of our artists and prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the agency said.
South Korea reported a record high of 8,571 new daily infections Tuesday, according to figures from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) amid the fast spread of the new dominant omicron variant.
It marks the first time the daily caseload has surpassed the 8,000 mark since the country reported the first COVID-19 infection in January 2020.
(Yonhap)
