Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Vietnamese visitor to Itaewon club 'Queen' tests positive for coronavirus
People wearing face masks walk in Itaewon, Seoul, May 12. Those in the photo are unrelated to the story. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
A Vietnamese worker in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, has tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting the club “Queen” in Seoul's popular multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon on May 1.
The man, 32, whose identity is being withheld, took a coronavirus test in Bucheon, where his friend lives, on May 15 after showing flu-like symptoms, the city government said Sunday.
He is being treated at the Gyeonggi Province Medical Center Anseong Hospital.
Health officials are tracing the people the man has since contacted. So far, one of his Korean colleagues in Gwangju has tested positive for COVID-19. Among 10 others the two had been in close contact with, four tested negative and six are waiting for results.
After a 29-year-old Korean patient infected with the virus visited multiple clubs and bars in the area from the night of May 1 to the early hours of May 2, there was a resurgence in new cases, with the daily increase reaching over 30 on May 10 and 11, the highest of the month.
On Sunday, the country reported 13 new cases, with club-linked infections showing signs of a slowdown over the weekend.