No more “Gangnam Style” in group training in fitness studios: South Korea is tightening the corona rules in the capital region. A new rule is that gyms can’t play songs too fast.
Corona dangers emanate from the mega-hit “Gangnam Style” by the South Korean rapper Psy – at least that’s how authorities in the Asian country see it. New rules for infection protection in the capital, Seoul, prohibit fitness studios from playing music at a rate of more than 120 beats per minute (beats per minute, bpm) during group training. The world hit “Gangnam Style” from 2012 has the rapid tempo of 132 bpm.
With the rules, the authorities want to prevent gym visitors from breathing and sweating too hard, which could spread the virus in the event of their corona infection.
Songs from BTS are spared
While “Gangnam Style” falls under the ban, the hits of the worldwide popular South Korean boy group band BTS are spared: “Dynamite” for example only has 114 bpm and “Butter” 110 bpm, according to lists circulating on the online networks. Many South Korean users there complained about the new rules.
These also stipulate that the treadmills in the Seoul fitness studios may not be faster than six kilometers per hour. “Do we get tickets for speed violations?” a user of the online networks mocked it.
South Korea has high numbers of infections
In view of the increased number of infections, stricter corona rules will come into force in South Korea this week. Among other things, the shop opening times and the permitted number of participants in crowds will be reduced. In general, however, the shops – and also the fitness studios – can remain open.
Most recently, new infections with the corona virus in South Korea had risen to more than 1,000 cases per day, according to the authorities. In an international comparison that is not much. But these are the highest rates of infection in South Korea since the beginning of the pandemic. Most new infections occur in the capital region, where about half of the 52 million inhabitants of the East Asian state live.
