Three members of K-pop sensation BTS test positive for Covid-19
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 pandemic began, the group's management
said Saturday.
Rapper RM and vocalist Jin tested
positive for the virus Saturday evening, according to Big Hit Music.
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.
The South Korean group gave their
first offline concerts since the start of the pandemic in Los Angeles, which
took place from late November to early this month.
They have been on holiday since
then, and each of the three infected members returned to South Korea on
different dates.
While RM and Suga are asymptomatic,
Jin has mild fever, the agency said.
All three members have been fully
vaccinated, and none of them had any contact with other group members after
their return to South Korea, Bit Hit Music added.
Among the three, 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.
Both the US and South Korea are
struggling with rising Covid cases as the hyperinfectious Omicron variant
spreads globally.
The company will place its
"highest priority on the health and safety of our artists", Big Hit
Music said in a statement.
BTS achieved global superstardom
with their single "Dynamite" that entered the Billboard Hot 100 at
number one last year, making them the first South Korean act to top the US
chart.