Covid-19 hits BTS, Seventeen, Enhypen and other K-pop acts, as well as K-drama star Park Seo-joon, as Omicron wave lashes South Korea

South Korea’s Covid-19 infection numbers are on the increase, and K-pop and K-drama stars aren’t being spared

Some of its biggest acts and actors have reported infections, and entire K-pop groups have tested positive for the virus

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K-pop acts including BTS and Enhypen have contracted Covid-19, and actor Park Seo-joon (above) is the latest Korean star to be infected, as the Omicron variant of the virus spreads through South Korea. Photo: @skecherssg/Instagram

Published: 7:15pm, 24 Feb 2022Updated: 9:09am, 25 Feb 2022

As South Korea continues to face rising Covid-19 case numbers, the country’s entertainment industry has not been spared, with multiple K-pop acts and popular actors testing positive for the coronavirus.

On February 24, popular K-drama actor Park Seo-joon was reported to have contracted the virus, following weeks of celebrities sharing their test results and, when available, news of their full recovery.

The news of Park contracting the virus, for instance, came just two days after close friend V (Kim Tae-hyung) of BTS was confirmed to have a clean bill of health on February 22.

Since late December, the Korean entertainment industry has put star faces to the country’s current wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Popular K-pop groups including BTS, Seventeen, Kep1er, The Boyz, Momoland, Tomorrow X Together, Brave Girls, Enhypen, Oh My Girl, Ateez, Itzy, iKon, Viviz and Super Junior have reported infections among their ranks.

V of BTS has been given a clean bill of health after recovering from Covid. Photo: Big Hit Entertainment

A handful of acts, such as the nine-member boy band Cravity, have reported all their members contracting the virus.

Because of the wave of infections, the entertainment industry has been facing frequent cancellations and rescheduling of events and television appearances. Newly launched K-pop girl group NMIXX were forced to postpone promotional events for their debut single album, Ad Mare, after members tested positive for the coronavirus.