SEOUL: After Suga, two more members of the K-pop group BTS have tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from the United States, where they held their first in-person concerts since the pandemic began, their management company Big Hit Music confirmed.
Rapper RM and vocalist Jin were diagnosed with COVID-19 a day after Suga, a songwriter and rapper for the seven-member group, tested positive. All three had completed second doses of a coronavirus vaccine in August, the company said.
RM, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, and Jin, whose real name is Kim Seok-jin, initially tested negative on returning to South Korea earlier this month. RM, who later tested positive, is showing no symptoms, Big Hit Music said.
Jin tested negative a second time as he left quarantine, but was later diagnosed after experiencing symptoms, which the company said were mild. Neither Jin or RM had any contact with other group members after their return to South Korea, the company added.
The concerts in the United States were BTS’ first in the country since 2019, when they toured across Asia, Europe and North America. Both the US and South Korea are struggling with rising Covid cases as the hyperinfectious Omicron variant spreads globally.
Since their 2013 debut, BTS have spearheaded a global K-Pop craze with catchy, upbeat music and dances, as well as lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people.
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.
