On August 18, Bithumb and Bitsonic exchange announced that they will suspend the Gangnam offline customer center due to the spread of COVID-19.
Bithumb put a note on the website, “The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is increasing, mainly in the domestic metropolitan area, and the social distancing issue in Seoul and Gyeonggi has been raised to the second degree level. Accordingly, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Bithumb offline Gangnam Center will be temporarily closed.
The exchange said that phone consultations and 1:1 inquiries are normally operated. Bithumb said, “We ask for your understanding of any inconvenience in using the service. There will be separate notice when offline Gangnam Center plans to reopen.”
On the same day, Bitsonic also announced on its website that “to prevent the spread of the virus, Bitsonic offline customer center will be temporarily closed.” Bitsonic Customer Center is located on the 4th floor of EWR Tower in Seocho-dong, Seoul.
The exchange said, “We will be announcing about the resumption of operation in the future. Phone consultation and Kakao Talk consultation will be operated as usual.”
Other exchanges that previously operated offline customer centers have also indefinitely delayed resumption of operations. On May 16, Upbit exchange temporarily postponed the operation of the ‘Upbit Lounge’, which had been operating in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, due to the increase in the number of confirmed cases. Upbit has not specified when to resume.
Huobi Korea exchange has also temporarily suspended its offline customer center operations since February 24, when the Corona 19 response stage was upgraded to “serious”. Instead, the exchange responds to customers through chat counseling and email counseling.
Meanwhile, according to the Center for Disease Control, as of 0 o’clock on this day, August 18th, there were 235 new domestic cases of COVID-19, and 11 cases of overseas inflow. As mass confirmed cases occurred at Sarangjeil Church, the National Police Agency announced that it would raise the social distance to Seoul and Gyeonggi area only for two weeks from the 16th to the second stage. The National Police Agency stressed to the citizens, “Please refrain from going out, wear a mask, and follow the hygiene rules.”
번역: 김동우
