Ministry of National Defense: "No Leave Restrictions for Soldiers Due to 'New Coronavirus'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense has clarified that restrictions on soldiers' leave due to the novel coronavirus infection are not true. The rumor circulating on social networking services (SNS) that all soldiers' leave has been restricted is false.

The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 30th that only units near the areas where confirmed COVID-19 cases have occurred are restricting soldiers' leave, overnight stays, and outings. It was reported that in other regions, soldiers' leave is not being restricted.

Previously, there were baseless rumors that the Ministry of National Defense had issued a directive to restrict all soldiers' outings, but the Ministry denied this. To prevent the introduction of infectious diseases into the military, the Ministry requested restrictions on soldiers' outings in units where confirmed cases have occurred, along with refraining from external unit events.

As a preventive measure, the Ministry of National Defense has quarantined 124 soldiers who visited China, and each unit is measuring the temperature of personnel entering and exiting.

A Ministry of National Defense official explained, "There are currently no plans to restrict all soldiers' outings," adding, "The military is supporting a whole-of-government response to prevent the spread of infectious diseases while taking preventive measures to block their introduction into the military."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.