SF9 Hwiyoung and Chani alarmed fans after the K-pop idols were reportedly booked after breaking a COVID-19 protocol.
The growing COVID-19 cases in South Korea have been affecting the entertainment industry's schedules. Unfortunately, it also puts K-pop idols' lives in danger due to their exposure in public. In fact, several K-pop stars have already failed to safeguard themselves from the virus that they contracted the dreaded disease.
While those idols take extra cautionary measures amid the rise of COVID-19 variants, two SF9 members had been booked after breaking the imposed protocols.
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SF9 Hwiyoung, Chani Shocked Fans After Recent Booking
On Thursday, multiple Korean media outlets (via Soompi) confirmed that the police received a report regarding a drinking establishment still operating at 1:00 a.m on January 18. The South Korean government already included in its COVID-19 regulations that businesses are only allowed to operate until 9:00 p.m.
The establishment reportedly locked the door, with its staff refusing to open it. This caused the police and firefighters to break into the place forcefully.
Initial reports said that a total of 15 people were present inside the area, including Hwiyoung and Chani. The K-pop idols were reportedly with their friends and establishment's staff at the time of the incident. All of them were booked by the authorities for violating the COVID-19 prevention regulations.
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Following the incident, SF9's agency, FNC Entertainment, released a statement to address the issue.
According to the label, the two idols received an invitation from an acquaintance to celebrate Chani's birthday. They eventually drove to a hold'em pub in Nonhyeon.
FNC then apologized for what happened, pledging to do its best so that a similar incident would not happen again. Part of the statement read:
"It is definite that Hwiyoung and Chani's actions were careless and deserving of criticism. They are reproachful of themselves for causing concern to fans and the public, and they are deeply self-reflecting and regretful. We also express deep apologies for being inattentive about managing our artists with no room for excuses. We will provide more thorough management and prepare measures so a situation like this does not occur again."
Hwiyoung, Chani Shared Handwritten Apologies
After the reports about the incident emerged, Hwiyoung and Chani posted handwritten apology statements and explained what happened.
According to Chani, they were caught by the officers as soon as they arrived around 1:00 a.m. Hwiyoung, meanwhile, pledged to self-reflect and act more responsibly from that day forward.
While most fans chose to understand them, some accused that a similar incident probably occurred in the past weeks and led to more idols testing positive for the COVID-19.
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