Members of boy band Seventeen and girl group fromis_9 tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend, according to Pledis Entertainment.

The agency on Saturday said that Seventeen members S. Coups, DK and Seungkwan have tested positive after taking PCR tests on Friday.

"S. Coups and DK both have sore throats and Seungkwan has a fever," said the agency in a statement. It added that the three are all receiving at-home treatment.

The members' infections follow three others in the group who previously tested positive.

Wonwoo was the first member of the band to test positive for Covid on Feb. 12. Subsequently, Vernon and Hoshi contracted the virus on Feb. 25 and March 3, respectively.

Seventeen debuted as a 13-member band in 2015 with the EP “17 Carat.” It is known for hits such as “Adore U” (2015), “Don't Wanna Cry” (2017) and “Ready to Love” (2021). The band will host a fan meet called “Seventeen in Carat Land” both online and offline from March 25 to 27.

Jang Gyu-ri, Lee Chae-young and Lee Sae-rom of fromis_9 have also been infected with Covid-19.

Pledis Entertainment said that Lee Chae-young first began showing symptoms of a slight fever and a sore throat on Friday morning. She subsequently took a PCR test which came out positive.

Other members preemptively underwent self-testing which revealed that Jang and Lee Sae-rom had also been infected on Saturday.

"All three members are not displaying serious symptoms of the virus besides sore throats, and will receive at-home treatment," said the agency through online fan community platform Weverse.

In February, another member of fromis_9, Lee Seo-yeon, tested positive. She has since made a full recovery.

Nine-member girl group fromis_9 was formed in 2017 via the Mnet audition program "Idol School" (2017) and debuted in 2018. It is known for its songs "To Heart" (2018) and "Feel Good (Secret Code)" (2020).


BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]