Police Arrived On Site Due To Many Fans Crowding To Exchange Photocards Near An Album Store

Social distancing was not observed.

In the time of coronavirus, social distancing measures are enforced with police help in South Korea. Due to strict measures, the public is not allowed to gather in groups of more than 5 and huge crowds are banned. However, a large group of fans had been crowding in a public square to exchange photocards after the recent drop of their idols’ album.

Gwanghwamun Plaza | ASSA Architecture

Although the group is not specified, fans could guess which group it was as only two groups dropped their albums the day before. On May 10, 2021, only OH MY GIRL and NCT Dream released albums. Many fans rushed to purchase albums in person from Gwanghwamun’s Hottracks branch. As physical stores become a hotspot for fans, it is common to do on-spot trades after unboxing their albums in the nearby open plaza.

The Gwanghwamun Plaza and gates are also a huge landmark in South Korea, making it easy to spot as a meetup place to exchange photocards. However, the police had to intervene due to the huge crowd gathering, according to this fan.

Many other fans also corroborated her statement and requested for fans to leave the area immediately once they have completed their trades. Others have called out the irony that the police are not cracking down on room salons or bars, and are choosing to use their efforts on this instead.