Layoffs at Lotte Dept. Store stir controversy

A notice board in front of Italian luxury brand Gucci reads the boutique is temporarily closed in Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong, Seoul, after an employee was confirmed with COVID-19 on Saturday.

By Kim Jae-heun

A recent infection cluster linked to nightclubs and bars in Itaewon, Seoul, has caused a ripple effect with the laying off of a considerable number of employees at luxury boutiques in Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong, Seoul, that is stirring controversy here.

According to Lotte Department Store, a male employee working at the store of Italian luxury brand Gucci tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

The department store franchise immediately shut down the store in the morning on the same day. Lotte also closed down the whole building for disinfection.

However, in light of speculation about the infected worker's sexuality, a number of luxury brand stores are said to be preparing thorough staff reshuffles because they suspect some their employees to be homosexual.

"We have never heard of any such story and we are not involved in staffing of luxury boutiques at our outlets," a Lotte Department Store official said. "However, what we can confirm is that other employees who worked with the man on May 5 and 6 have all tested negative for COVID-19 and are currently quarantined at home."

A source working in the luxury fashion industry said there are many homosexuals working at luxury fashion houses and some brands have launched an internal probe to check who among their staff had been to any of the related clubs last week.

"However, the brands are not trying to find out which staffers are sexual minorities. They are trying to sort out those with potential viral infection and prevent its further spread among workers," the source said.

Three of the five clubs that the 646th super spreader visited cater to the gay community.

Among the 102 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, as of Tuesday, 73 of them had recently visited nightclubs in Itaewon.

The health authority said 92 patients confirmed with COVID-19 related to Itaewon's infection cluster are men.

As the number of infections detected in connection to the Itaewon area rises, so too does discrimination against sexual minorities both online and offline.

Public backlash appears inevitable, especially because the case broke out on the day the government loosened social distancing recommendations.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has reportedly advised keeping strict regulations for nightclubs and entertainment facilities but the government decided to lower the warning across all sectors to aid economic recovery.

"I hope this does not incur a lot of discrimination against sexual minorities here where society is still conservative about the issue. It just happened to break out at gay clubs, and straight people were also partying in the next building too," the source added.

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