K-Pop Group WINNER Suspends Album Promotional Activities After Kim Jin-Woo’s COVID-19 Diagnosis

WINNER’s music label YG Entertainment announced the suspension of all promotional activities of the group after its vocalist Kim Jin-Woo tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.

The other three members – Lee Seung-Hoon, Mino and Kang Seung-Yoon tested negative for the virus, but the label is yet to decide if they will allow the three members to promote their new album, “Holiday” while Kim recovers from the illness.

“We will come to a decision on the future schedule of the WINNER members aside from Kim Jin-Woo after monitoring various situations, in accordance with the guidelines of government health authorities,” the music label said.

The statement continued, “Our agency considers our artist’s health our top priority, and we are giving him our unsparing support. We would be grateful if you rooted for Kim Jin-Woo’s quick recovery.”

The four-piece K-pop act ended their two-year hiatus with the release of their new album, “Holiday” on July 5 which sold 96,016 copies on the first day of its release.

“Holiday” edged out the group’s 2012 album, “Remember” which sold 73,502 copies on the day of its release. The album also topped iTunes Albums charts in 18 regions worldwide, ranking high in Asia, North America and South American regions.

The “Everyday” singers successfully held a concert at Seoul's Han River Park on Sunday. Two days later, however, YG Entertainment announced that Kang sustained an ankle injury during the concert. Consequently, the group’s appearances on this week’s music shows were canceled but the label promised fans that the 28-year-old will be joining the group, but won't be engaging in strenuous activities due to his injury.

WINNER debuted in YG Entertainment in August 2014 and is known for upbeat songs such as “Really, Really,” “Love Me Love Me,” “Just Dance” and the summer-themed hit, “Island.”

In 2020, the label announced the group's hiatus following the release of “Remember.” The announcement came a week after Jin-Woo started his mandatory military service leaving the promotional activities of the album to the other three members. It was the first official break from the idols since their debut in the K-pop industry.