Local residents worried about fans gathering ahead of actor's enlistment

Park Bo-gum / Korea Times file

Local residents in the southern coastal city of Changwon are concerned about possible infections of the novel coronavirus as a number of fans and reporters are coming to see star actor Park Bo-gum's enlistment next week.

The 26-year-old celebrity will start his two-year military duty Monday at the Navy Education and Training Command in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, for basic military training. Six weeks later, he will transfer to the Navy headquarters in the central city of Gyeryong.

Many fans and journalists from all over the country have been flocking to Changwon to catch a glimpse of his last appearance.

A notice posted on a bulletin of an apartment complex in Changwon on Friday asked its residents to wear masks as a precautionary measure against the star's fans who are staying at local hotels and roaming around the town.

Park's agency, Blossom Entertainment, has requested his fan clubs and reporters refrain from visiting the city, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Korea has been experiencing a looming second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with new daily cases having been around 300 for weeks. (Yonhap)