"The Neighborhood Image Gets Worse" Controversy Over Revealing 'Gwanak-gu COVID-19' Location Name

Citizens Debate "Stigma" vs. "Right to Know"

On the morning of the 3rd, a notice regarding screening and treatment for the novel coronavirus infection was posted in front of the Gangnam-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] The COVID-19 test result for Mr. A, a man in his 30s who died on the 18th after returning from China last month, came back negative. However, separate from the investigation of Mr. A, it was revealed that his residence was in Gwanak-gu, leading to criticism from some questioning why the district was disclosed. On the other hand, there are opinions supporting the public's right to know, sparking controversy around this issue.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and fire authorities, a report was received around 9 a.m. that Mr. A, who lives in Gwanak-gu, was not breathing. Mr. A was transported to Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in a state of no respiration but passed away around 10:30 a.m.

It was reported that Mr. A showed signs of bleeding in the lungs and symptoms of pneumonia. Notably, he had traveled to Hainan, China, with his family for three days last month. Consequently, police officers, firefighters, and family members who had contact with Mr. A were placed under self-quarantine.

Despite the negative test result, the term "Gwanak-gu Corona" continued to trend on real-time search engines, and some netizens criticized, saying, "Shouldn't residents of Gwanak-gu be quarantined?"

As a result, residents of Gwanak-gu have expressed grievances such as "How can they disclose the district name?", "It only damages the image unnecessarily," and "I was suspected even though it's not even my neighborhood."

A 29-year-old office worker, Mr. A, who revealed he lives in Gwanak-gu, said, "I think I've heard 'Is it okay there?' at least 30 times from people around me," adding, "Although they say it's out of concern, I get tired of explaining as they keep asking. The neighborhood's image is just getting worse."

Another resident of Gwanak-gu, Mr. B (32), said, "I heard comments like 'Again Gwanak-gu?' while mentioning incidents related to Gwanak-gu. It felt like regional discrimination and was unpleasant," and pointed out, "There are also problems with people who create anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak."

On the morning of the 29th of last month, officials at an elementary school in Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, are measuring the temperatures of students on their way to school to prevent the novel coronavirus infection known as 'Wuhan pneumonia.' [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, some citizens responded that it is a matter of the right to know, saying, "Isn't it the right to know?", "It's information we must know," and "Knowing helps prevent it," expressing resignation.

Office worker Mr. C (27) said, "Isn't it something we need to know to avoid it?" and added, "I think hiding it causes more problems. Revealing the district name is necessary for the public's right to know."

University student Mr. D (25) said, "I believe all detailed district names should be disclosed to prevent the spread of (COVID-19)," and raised his voice, "By this logic, the movement routes of confirmed patients should not be disclosed either."

Mr. D added, "There are also infected people recently without overseas travel history," and said, "Disclosing accurate district names helps residents living nearby to be more careful in prevention and respond quickly if symptoms appear."

Previously, CGV Sungshin Women's University Entrance Branch also became a subject of controversy after the fifth COVID-19 patient visited, trending on real-time search engines. Some pointed out that such disclosure of district names encourages the spread of speculative fake news, personal information digging of confirmed patients and contacts, and malicious comments.

Meanwhile, 15 additional COVID-19 patients were confirmed domestically, bringing the total number of patients in the country to 46.

On the 19th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of 9 a.m., 15 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, raising the total domestic confirmed cases to 46. Among the 15 new patients, 13 were from the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. Of these, 11 were confirmed to be related to the 31st patient (61-year-old female Korean).

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