SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has placed the popular nightlife district of Itaewon in central Seoul off-limits for the upcoming Halloween weekend to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The multicultural district has been popular among foreigners and some South Koreans for Halloween celebrations, but concerns have risen [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Popular clubs in Seoul’s hip districts of Itaewon, Hongdae and Gangnam will close this Halloween weekend to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to customer notices seen Wednesday, these large-capacity clubs will close the same day until next Tuesday. “Following consultations with health authorities and local governments, we [...]
SEOUL, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Civic groups have petitioned the Constitutional Court to declare that the government’s massive collection of mobile phone data for contact tracing to stem the spread of COVID-19 was unconstitutional. The five groups led by two influential civic groups — MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democracy Society and People’s Solidarity for Participatory [...]
SEOUL, June 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Sexual minorities are facing social discrimination, hatred and isolation following a mass outbreak of the coronavirus in Itaewon that began on May 7. An individual referred to only as Kim, who visited a club in Itaewon and tested negative for the coronavirus on May 12, talked of his recent [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The much-hyped mass outbreak of the coronavirus that started at an Itaewon club might have been forecast as a typhoon but has ended up more like a breeze. The apparent success in avoiding a serious spike in infections is the latest accomplishment confirming the excellence of “K-quarantine” that is [...]
SEOUL, May 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Hatred towards sexual minorities is spreading following a coronavirus outbreak at clubs commonly frequented by members of the gay community in Itaewon. Activists for the rights of sexual minorities are joining hands to ensure that gender minorities receive coronavirus tests without falling victim to discrimination and stereotyping. Seven activist [...]
SEOUL, May 13 (Korea Bizwire) — In response to recent a recent spike in coronavirus cases tied to clubbers in the popular entertainment district of Itaewon, mobile carriers submitted lists of people who accessed mobile base stations near the clubs and bars on Tuesday. The government has started to use the list to identify individuals [...]
SEOUL, May 10 (Korea Bizwire) — The streets of Seoul’s bustling multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon looked abandoned Saturday night as the city government stopped clubs and bars from doing business earlier in the day following a recent cluster infection of the new coronavirus. Under the administrative order, all clubs, bars and other nightlife establishments are [...]
SEOUL, May 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul city government on Saturday effectively suspended business at clubs and bars in the city after recent infections in the city’s popular multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon put health authorities on alert over a possibly bigger outbreak. Under an administrative order that has gone into effect immediately, all clubs, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — When TV personality Hong Suk-chun opened a Thai restaurant in Itaewon 14 years ago, the best-known foreigners’ district in South Korea was always bustling with American soldiers and foreign tourists, as well as local visitors sampling the exotic ambience of the neighborhood. Hong has since seen the district lose [...]