South Korea has earned global praise for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but a new cluster of 86 cases that have been linked to several nightclubs in Itaewon has put the LGBT community into the spotlight and has started a series of homophobic acts.
On May 11, South Korea issued a warning against leaking the personal information of coronavirus patients after most of the new cases were traced back to gay nightclubs in the district.
K-pop girl group member's action sparks debate
A former member of a K-pop girl group Kara admitted to having gone clubbing in Itaewon without a mask during the recommended social distancing period in Seoul.
The K-pop idol, Park Gyuri, was present at one of the clubs that a confirmed carrier of coronavirus was also at. A video shows Park Gyuri dancing to one of her group's songs that were playing and in the video, she was not wearing a mask. A media outlet has reported that former KARA member Park Gyuri is the idol in question who went clubbing in Itaewon without a mask during the recommended social distancing period in Seoul.
The idol admitted that she was the woman in the video and apologized for the incident, but the revelation of her identity has led some people to dig the personal information of the other people in the said gay club, thus violating their privacy and outing them without their consent.
Media outlets in Korea reported that the virus has spread in gay clubs, but none of the venues named describe themselves as such on their company websites or social media accounts.
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Numerous reports specified the age, district, type, and location of work of the coronavirus patient that is believed to be the one who recklessly spread the virus in the area. While the age and district of the patient were posted by the city, other personal details were posted in local media to unnamed officials.
Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho warned that leaking personal information of confirmed patients or spreading baseless rumors are punishable by law. At the news conference, the official said that there was a trend of criticism and hate against a certain group to which the infection occurred.
Homophobia amid the pandemic
Homophobia is still rampant in South Korea compared to nearby countries like Taiwan and Japan. Numerous LGBT advocates have criticized the media's reaction to the nightclub outbreak. An advocacy group Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea said in a statement that revealing the sexual orientation of the patients adds stigma of disease upon the homophobia in the society.
The advocacy group added that the recent reporting of the outbreak would drive coronavirus cases underground, as infected people will hesitate to get tested because of the fear of being outed. It can also make self-isolation difficult and is a detriment to testing.
There have been 86 infections traced to the nightclubs in Itaewon as of May 11, according to South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or KCDC. The agency added that 78 of those who tested positive were men and 76 were in their 20s and 30s.
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