Coronavirus: K-pop star Park Gyuri ‘regrets’ dancing at Seoul nightclub linked to Covid-19 cluster amid fears of second wave in South Korea

Video shows former member of Kara at the club four days before social distancing measures were eased and on same day as a confirmed carrier

News comes amid fears that an emerging coronavirus cluster linked to Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district could lead to a second wave of infections

4-MIN READ4-MIN

Park Gyuri (right) with Koo Hara of the now defunct South Korean all-girl pop group Kara. Gyuri has admitted dancing in a nightclub before social distancing measures were eased. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:00pm, 12 May 2020Updated: 5:19pm, 12 May 2020

A former K-pop star has expressed “deep regret” after video footage showed her dancing at a nightclub linked to an emerging coronavirus cluster that has sparked fears of a second wave of infections in South Korea.

Park Gyuri, a former member of the disbanded K-pop girl group Kara, made a formal apology through her agency on Monday after it emerged she had visited the club in the Seoul district of Itaewon on May 2, four days before social distancing measures were eased and the same day as a confirmed Covid-19 carrier.

“I want to express my deep regret and I apologise for not following the standards that everyone should keep during this period of social distancing,” said Park.

The singer’s apology came as authorities in the country combed mobile phone data, credit card statements and CCTV footage in an effort to identify everyone who has recently visited nightclubs in the district.

More than 100 new cases linked to the clubs have prompted fears of a second wave of infections in a country that has been held up as a success story for its efforts against the coronavirus.