Personal Information of 16th Confirmed Case of 'New Coronavirus' Leaked Through Gwangju Area 'Mom Cafe'

On the morning of the 4th, construction workers are conducting disinfection work at the Gwangju Urban Railway Yongsan Vehicle Depot in Dong-gu, Gwangju, to prevent and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus infection. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] A public document containing personal information of the 16th confirmed domestic case of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) was leaked through an online community.

At around 12 PM on the 4th, a document titled "Report on the Occurrence of a Confirmed Case of Novel Coronavirus" was posted on an online community called "Mom Cafe," where parents of infants and toddlers in the Gwangju area gather.

The document is presumed to have been produced by Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, based on the designation "Health Administration and Infection Control Team."

The disclosed document contains details such as the overview of the occurrence, investigation details, measures taken, and future plans.

It also includes personal information presumed to be of the confirmed patient, such as part of the name, age, gender, and residential area, as well as personal details of the husband and children, including their ages, workplaces, and schools they attend.

As the post spread through social media and various online communities, citizens expressed concerns about infection, speculating on the confirmed patient's movement routes.

Meanwhile, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju, held a press conference at the Gwangju City Hall briefing room on the same day, stating, "The 16th confirmed patient is a 42-year-old woman, Ms. A, who entered the country on January 19 after traveling to Thailand and is currently hospitalized and receiving treatment in a nationally designated isolation ward at Chonnam National University Hospital." He added, "The three family members of Ms. A, who are under self-quarantine, have shown no symptoms so far."

The mayor added, "We are conducting an epidemiological investigation with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm Ms. A's movement routes and contacts," and "We will approach this carefully to prevent unnecessary anxiety and harm caused by the spread of information."

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