Red Velvet's Irene, Joy, Yeri test positive for COVID-19; live concerts canceled

Three members of K-pop girl group Red Velvet -- Irene, Joy and Yeri -- have tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the cancellation of all two concerts scheduled for the weekend, the group's agency said Monday.

The members recently tested positive through self-test kits and then underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which returned positive results, SM Entertainment said.

Having completed their vaccination, the three are receiving treatment at home without presenting any special symptoms, it added.

The remaining two members -- Seulgi and Wendy -- tested negative.

The infections caused the cancellation of the group's first concerts before a live audience since November 2019, the agency said, adding tickets will be fully refunded.

However, the group will drop its new EP as scheduled next Monday, SM said.

Red Velvet planned to hold two "2022 The ReVe Festival: Prologue" concerts at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park in southern Seoul on Saturday and Sunday, with the last one set to be streamed live online for its international fans.

"We'll decide later whether to reschedule the concerts or not based on the artists' health and COVID-19 situations," the agency said in a release. (Yonhap)