South Korean expats, teachers under intense scrutiny after nightclub outbreak worsens

Expats, teachers in South Korea are being closely watched in South Korea after the nightclub coronavirus outbreak in Seoul’s Itaewon district has worsened.

Efforts of the country's government to test thousands of people and trace the source of the infection is being heavily criticised on social media by expatriate teachers who claim that their right to privacy is being breached.

Foreigners teaching in South Korean schools complained their employers were asking them to surrender their credit card details to confirm they were not among the partygoers in Itaewon at the start of this month.

Teachers, including foreigners who teach English at schools or private language institutes, have come under scrutiny after the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said 158 people working at schools in the capital, including 53 foreigners, had reported to authorities that they visited Itaewon and other entertainment districts during the April 29-May 6 period when there was a long weekend.

Scores of other foreigners working at schools in other provincial cities, including 20 in the second-largest city of Busan, also visited Itaewon during the period, it said.

Health authorities said as of Thursday, at least 20 cases of Covid-19 were linked to the nightspots, and 133 more were linked to that outbreak.

More than 22,000 people have been tested since the cluster emerged including 1,200 foreigners, with authorities using mobile phone data to identify and locate them.