Three members of K-pop sensation BTS have tested positive for COVID-19 since returning from the US, where they held their first in-person concerts since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the group’s management said on Saturday.
Rapper RM and vocalist Jin tested positive for the virus on Saturday evening, Big Hit Music said in a statement.
The announcement came a day after the agency confirmed that Suga, another member of the septet, was “administering self-care at home” following a positive test.
Photo: AFP / American Broadcasting Companies, Inc / ABC
The South Korean group gave their first in-person concerts since the start of the pandemic in Los Angeles from late November to early this month.
They have been on holiday since then, and each of the three members who have the virus returned to South Korea on different dates.
While RM and Suga are asymptomatic, Jin has mild fever, the agency said, adding that all three have been fully vaccinated, and none of them had any contact with other group members after their return to South Korea.
RM and Suga received their positive tests while still in self-quarantine after arriving back home, while Jin was released from quarantine after testing negative and received his positive result later.
The US and South Korea are struggling with rising COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreads globally.
Big Hit Music said it would place its “highest priority on the health and safety of our artists.”
BTS achieved global superstardom with their single Dynamite, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1 last year, making them the first South Korean act to top the US chart.
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