'Wuhan Evacuees Quarantine' Police Human Resources Development Institute Protest in Full Swing... Director Hwang Unha on 'Leave'

Democratic Party General Election Candidates Receive Training on 29-30th

On the 30th, as public anxiety grows over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), residents of Asan are confronting the police near the Chungnam Asan Police Human Resources Development Institute, which was designated as the quarantine facility for evacuees from Wuhan. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] As the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) shows signs of spreading, it has been confirmed that Hwang Un-ha, the former head of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency and director of the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, Chungnam, was on leave at the time when the institute was finalized as the quarantine site for Korean residents staying in Wuhan, China.

According to the National Police Agency on the 31st, Director Hwang took a day off the previous day. It is known that he attended the Democratic Party's general election candidate training. Earlier, on the 29th, Hwang posted on his Facebook, "I am participating in the general election candidate training course," adding, "It will be held for one night and two days until tomorrow."

On the day Hwang attended the training, the government announced that the Police Human Resources Development Institute was selected as one of the quarantine sites for Korean nationals returning from Wuhan by chartered flight. Subsequently, residents opposing this gathered in front of the institute, blocking the entrance with agricultural machinery and staging protests. The protests continued the next day, and Jin Young, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province, who visited the site to talk with residents, were pelted with eggs. Employees inside the Police Human Resources Development Institute were also reportedly busy preparing to receive the residents by cleaning the premises.

Safety management of nearby residents' assemblies falls under the jurisdiction of the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency, and if the residents are quarantined, the management responsibility lies with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so Director Hwang has no direct responsibility. However, some criticism has arisen over the director being absent during this urgent situation.

Meanwhile, Hwang applied for resignation from his parliamentary position on the 15th of this month to run in the general election, but it has not yet been approved. Hwang is currently indicted on charges related to the 'Blue House ordered investigation' allegations against former Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon. On the previous afternoon, Hwang strongly criticized the prosecution, saying, "When I asked for a swift conclusion, they delayed the case for a year and a half, but suddenly brought it up after I applied for honorable retirement," adding, "I said I would appear as soon as the unadjustable schedule ended, but they falsely claimed I refused to appear and hastily conducted a 'blind prosecution'."

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