The prosecution has apologized amid speculation that prosecutors investigating the Seongnam land development scandal had violated social distancing rules. 

On Friday an official clarified that the group of investigators in question dined in two separate rooms, but nevertheless offered their apology.

Sixteen members of the team looking into the scandal dined at a restaurant in Seoul’s Seocho district on November 4, when arrest warrants went out for two key figures in the case - Kim Man-bae and Nam Wook.

In the following days, seven members of the team tested positive for COVID-19, leading to a suspension in questioning. Prosecutors were able to interrogate the two men for the first time four days after their arrests. 

Under current social distancing rules, up to ten people can gather for private meetings in Seoul, Incheon and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province. Health authorities, as a rule, restrict the practice of large groups dividing themselves when using multipurpose facilities to meet guidelines.