iTaewon BLog

King Club Epidemic Site

Seoul Subway Line 6 iTaewon Station Exit 3 then turning-Right at the block’s-end after iTaewon Police sub-station but before iTaewon Fire Station: going up-hill passing African-Alley to your Right and just before Hooker Hill to your Left (further-up is the alley where if you go to the top is islam Mosque) and just after Robin’s huge indian Restaurant awaits the night club which has been American G.i.’s entrance into mid-night entertainment in the Capital of SEOUL, thus Korea . anyone who has served in the U.S. Military, their contractors and dependents respectfully, all has been to this Club where Officially no normal Korean citizens are allowed inside .
P1020076Hooker-Hill-King-Club480x270BookOS

so South Korea was one of the earliest countries to get effected from Corona Virus originating from Wuhan, as Chinese has long been here with their restaurants adapted to locals as JjaJangMyeon nor JjamPpong is served in main-land nor China Town in any other countries – but also with the influx of shopping tourists as South Korean developed into a World economy Post-Millennium . larger cities namely Jeju and SEOUL was the major destination for shoppers over the Chinese Lunar NEW Year and as this year was no exception, it got hit-hard so-much-so that most other countries banned flights originating from South Korea .

but the country name gradually fell from most effected AND death-roll countries as the nation braced with testing, contact-tracing and medical care while the now-Pandemic spread across the whole-wide-World . a major culprit along the way was a gathering of religious sect which effected its national toll and it seem to wade-down over the first Weekend of May when there was NO newly domestic-infected “0” zero for three-days in a row . all-the-while dance club scene was still frequented by the young mostly in their twenties . and foreigners and returning Koreans from abroad was still keeping the infection alive . the South-Eastern Port of Busan formerly Pusan from the Korean War is where a bulk of North American, Canadian, British, irish, Australian and New Zealand English teachers work with any college degree and clubs abound in Gwang-Anri and Haeundae Beaches as well as down-town (the latter more for local adults). there were tracing pin-pointed to a club in Busan as well but did NOT cause mass infection because the patient was wearing masks all-the-time . but this time in iTaewon the patient took-it-off once inside, and now is the head-line panic as the people who had been there, going back to work at health clubs, department stores, hospitals and other work places even military bases now tests positive .

 

currently there is no lawful enforcement for people to wear masks nor certain store-fronts close, but advice from government that stores keep several rules including masks and inter-person distancing . however rules can change soon, where Minister of Health and Welfare can apply fines up to W3,000,000 – miniscule compared to income that liquor business including dance clubs make – on business that do not follow guide-lines, including keeping tabs on identity of those who enters premises .

thus only since last night, after the news hit main-stream that the baddest street in all of South Korea (aside from the still existing four-or-so Red Light Districts around the Capital as well as couple more around larger Cities including Busan or Pusan) is virtually empty as we now know as a fact even younglings get effected with Covid-19 while in closed quarters .

the now-diagnosed carrier rode Bus number 8100 into itaewon in YongSan-Gu after dinner on May 1st Friday night, checking-out SoolPan, Trunk, King and Queen Clubs before taking a taxi back home at 4:40am. so if you have been in iTaewon last Weekend and now shows signs of the flu or congestion: contact your regional “Gu” administration Office !

13 persons newly infected in SEOUL yesterday – a maximum since 34 days now (yes, this is how much and well South Korean government in accordance with KCDC has contained the Virus) to add an additional 8 today due to this wild-party in the most international district in the Korean Peninsula .

 

– iTaewon BLog

( Evening Update ) newly infected people from iTaewon club has risen to 40 by late afternoon . these are diagnosed positive while authorities have to test the rest of clubbers who was in the disco that night last Weekend,  over 1300 cannot be contacted as they are NOT answering their cell phones (probably don’t want their where-abouts known, as most of these are homo-sexual gay bars and clubs) the police is coming-in to aid in search to pin-point cell phone carrier and credit card records . although this speedy authoritarian measures might seem drastic in the Free World, most of this relatively highly-educated citizens here understand to participate in time of crisis which in the long-run is for their own-good .

and into the night: patients increased to 47 and over 1900 contacts to trace . like record-high effected numbers and deaths in the States ever-soaring: it won’t be our effort to update further, as this will go on-and-on so Good-Luck everyone//

 

( May 10 Sunday morning Update ) as if to prove human travel circa 2020 Planet Earth: Corona Virus victims who got effected last Weekend in downtown SEOUL specifically a handful of bars and clubs in iTaewon, has now spread-out to satellite cities around the Capital including inCheon, through CheungBuk Province, Busan and all the down to the most Southern island of Jeju within a Week – tracing records show and a bulk of contacts still do not answer their phones as it might mean mandatory coming-out . some has acknowledged in their BLogs that they visit the gay club out of curiosity – which soon fell on its validity when tracing records revealed they had toured several within six hours .

over-night the baddest street in SEOUL: itaewon was virtually empty like a ghost town since last night after news of infection spread, where Koreans whose genes has it to go drink alcohol and mingle with friends and co-workers regularly now moved-on to indoor wagons (exact translation of out-door wagons where you can grab bites along with alcohol – so popular that they have moved in-doors only to keep their name – still cheap and crammed) across the Han River in posh GangNam .

( Sunday afternoon ) as total diagnosed from iTaewon clubs rose to 54 people now over a full single day (comparable to 116 effected previously from a zumba dance club in CheonAn in ChoongNam Province, West of South Korea): 2/3 of whom voluntarily gave their personal details, is now found to have given false information and was the same case in preceding mass-infection at the church-sect in DaeGu City both concerned as belonging in such a group is a proud thing currently . plus the tourist Southern island of  Jeju is in sudden alert as a female in her thirties returned from iTaewon to work back on skin care, contacting 127 more persons herself although she has been wearing masks as most Koreans do – ofcourse all her transportation route is revealed as open information,  as current KCDC rule is to inform all movement of a patient from a day before first symptoms arose .

foreign media which has been praising South Korea’s handling of this Corona Virus spread including testing, tracking and containing – some of which how concerned on this gay issue arising from this iTaewon case .

by day’s-end authorities are tracing about 5500 people who has been to these 5 clubs in iTaewon namely King, Queen, Trunk, Soho and Him at that time last Weekend, of which approximately 2000 cannot be contacted . add to this the culprit in trying to contact foreigners – whose numbers are not that many considering this is an inter-national melting-pod, due to cultural difference in handling mobile devices as well as language problems .

 

( May 11 Monday update ) former entertainment idol member of popular Korean Girl Group KARA who have been quite active in South Korea as well as neighboring Japan, is known to have been at the club . quick to be revealed as fans inquired On-Line on its validity, its managing agency first stated they are verifying and she soon said she has been tested negative as soon as the first patient came-out of this club, to apologize in regret to going there . although she says she had been wearing masks all the time while there, witnesses point the opposite seeing her dance without .

( Evening update ) two sites for testing in the vicinity of iTaewon the most-recent out-break: YongSan Region Administration Office and SoonCheonHyang Hospital was virtually empty through last Weekend into Monday morning, however after the YongSan Office and Police even Seoul City announcing investigative tracking, these sites were full with queue in line by this afternoon with attendants willing to get tested voluntarily before they come knocking on their door .

by day’s-end a patient has been diagnosed with Corona Virus but from another club in iTaewon: Made . resident of HongJae-1 Dong on the West-end of the Capital of SEOUL he did not show any symptom when tested this morning . thus authorities expect patients to come-out from other than the five clubs in iTaewon mention yesterday .

in another streak of national concern from this iTaewon club out-break: over 90 English teachers of foreign nationality have visited clubs around iTaewon last Week between April 29 until May 6 Wednesdays from all over the nation where more than half came from GangWon Province over the mountains East (guess you make the couple of hours train ride to p-a-r-t-y over the Weekend to return back to the mountains for the Week teaching) and including South Korea’s fifth city of GwangJu in the South-West . they have all returned here to resume teaching thus at government institutions as well as special schools thus the whole education system is on alert .

stories abound of youngster in their twenties and thirties returning home without symptoms to eventually pass-on the virus to their siblings and elders . also complaints from ShinCheonJi religious sects where the largest group of patients were effected past February: that the media named-them straight-out on major news outlets, while this time the clubs were only mentioned by name without designating homosexual gatherings initially .

 

Citizens of South Korea has sighed relief only last Week as newly diagnosed local numbers hit zero for days in-a-row, where last two Weekends saw couples and families yondering-out to parks, rivers and mountains – ofcourse the club scene was always there with young shouting-out carelessness in rage – this was sort-of the only form of indirect protest comparable to current protests with arms in the States . so all-in-all Koreans are shocked from this and quite annoyed how they have all chipped-in to calm-down the virus while sub-groups like ShinCheonJi said-Church members and homo-sexuals do not follow any of these protocols only to hide-deep from tracking there-after further burdening the nation-wide effort //

( May 13 Wednesday update ) new happenings arising from iTaewon club infection is Posts on separate NEW Post above, while a large club The Fountain is added to Made Club in addition to original five clubs in iTaewon where Corona Virus patients are being confirmed .

( Thursday ) authorities brace as patients might spike from today from iTaewon clubs, as Week after initial contact is the most active period of Corona Virus spread .

as this was a time-bomb waiting to be detonated : another bar, club and party area aside from iTaewon : HongDae – short of Hong-ik University of (fine arts, architecture, interior and product design fame) is beginning to budge a twenties lady living in GimPo has now contacted 21 people in an alcohol-serving place there a Week ago on May 7 Thursday to be confirmed COViD-19 positive yesterday .

 

( May 16 Saturday ) the link between the originating iTaewon clubs and another club district of HongDae has been found, as coin-karaoke booth in Gwan-AkGu at North-end of downtown SEOUL . however as subjects used different booths, virus may have passed through air vent holes or touching common surfaces such as door-knobs or vending machines .

authorities have tracked the first 4th infection (initial clubber to contact, to another contact then another to fourth) arising from iTaewon clubs mostly through family, co-worker and karaoke bars .

( May 19 Tuesday ) Yes the iTaewon club cluster came just a Week after the nation was recording zero-NEW domestic (aside from those flying-in) infection for days in-a-row . and just as authorities was about to pride themselves to the World : how efficiently South Korea has (manically) tamed the virus after this iTaewon club out-break and Thank its citizens for being cautious and thinking for others and not just themselves, news abound again of more cases mostly from the part-time teacher who kept it a secret and continued to teach, plus more onto nurses and doctors – not from curing job but contact with friends and co-workers .

this continuous wave of have-and-have-nots seem to point that this is how it is going to be for at least another year-or-so gulp . the healthy-bodied with mind-intact can probably bare this somehow, but the children, the elders, still-typically Koreans who have to have talks over alcohol with friends and co-workers (camaradary on the former while blowing-off stress on the latter) those having to go to specific religious gathering regularly and those who have to go yonder in search for sex will keep this going-on to make Covid-19 a parasite humans will have to tackle for-life although with milder complication .

 

( May 21 Thursday Update ) dubbing this iTaewon club out-break a silent spread compared to earlier mass out-break in DaeGu churches, authorities have found this to be of different strain than that of DaeGu :

  1. Covid-19 Type-A initially discovered in Wuhan China where it seemed to be derived from bats,
  2. Covid-19 Type-B is a mutated A virus found in the rest of China and East Asia including South Korea .
  3. Covid-19 Type-C is another mutation from B found around Europe and North America .

at the on-set Corona Virus found in South Korea was overtly Type-A, to find B from DaeGu infections . and it is C now found be in those infected from iTaewon clubs, thus from different source . C seems to be more infectious with mutated G614 on Spike Proteins which enables adhesivity to the virus .

 

( May 27 Wednesday ) Let me tell you another scary story (as it comes and comes) of how this iTaewon club has instigated onto its seventh tier of infection to trigger South Korea’s (1st was ShinCheonJi Church, 2nd Guro Call Center (169 infected from a single person in March at phone order and consulting service) and 3rd iTaewon clubs) fourth and possibly fifth infection cluster :

  1. a teacher at an institute in inCheon hid the fact he’s been to iTaewon club,
  2. who’s student went to coin karaoke (both tested Covid-19 positive)
  3. where a taxi driver (49 years-old) visited
  4. who worked part-time as photographer at Raon Party Buffet Restaurant in BuCheon, a rather-poor satellite town South-West of SEOUL where over 20 people have been tested positive until now .
  5. a 43-year old woman working at South Korea’s latest hit-shopping mall Coupang (become popular due to its mid-night deliver, thus hiring massive part-time workers at their distribution sites) storage ware-house in the same BuCheon, went to this buffet to celebrate a baby’s 100-day festivity. Coupang has about 1300 workers in 3 shifts operating 24 hours here, of which are divided into 3 work categories : Official employees in personnel administration, short-term contractors handling parcel and daily part-time hire as man-power is needed (Patient-zero above worked as the latter on May 12 Tuesday, taking their shuttle-bus at BuPyeong Administration Office Subway Station at around 4:10pm to work there on the 2nd floor until 3pm next day). about 4000 employees are being tested for Corona Virus of which 1900 have finished . the company whose business has been increasing in the Corona-Age as more people order On-Line, kept working hours onto the afternoon, even after first infection was confirmed May 24 Sunday morning . Coupang has a total of 36 infected patients of which 32 are from this ware-house, and the rest of 4 their family . Coupang says workers have been following virus protocol including temperature-check upon entrance, and wearing masks and gloves while working – but KCDC authorities think they may have been compromised during meal at mess-hall on the 2nd floor – where witness say over 100 workers ate next to each other – and smoking room on the ground floor . soon-after ManSeok Elementary school in inCheon closed after learning a Coupang employee (age 30) tested positive, also began working as a care-taker at this school . she contacted with 10 students .
  6. South Korea’s largest U-Base (computer) call center phone consultant 20-years of age on the 7th Floor of its U-Base Tower Building in the BuCheon where South Korea’s 1600 people work (250 on each floor), also worked part-time at above Coupang ware-house on the Weekend of May 23 and 24 – to show signs of throat-ache and cough next-day afternoon,  and tested positive today .

many locals who met this news today, see as unfortunate as many of above transmitters are hard-working people who juggled part-time jobs on-top of their main work-load . more-so as the latter two companies are successfully-huge thus hiring much part-time workers some by-day .

  • perhaps un-related, but another huge office has been shut-down as a planner working at KB Life insurance where about 100 people work on 7th Floor of Central Place Building in ChoongJeongRo at the heart of downtown SEOUL, was tested positive last night (7 co-workers confirmed the next morning).

so its a Never-Ending Story where just one, Uno person goes-around spreading to a mass ~

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.