Democratic Party Clarifies "Daegu-Gyeongbuk Lockdown Policy Does Not Mean Completely Blocking Entry"

Senior Spokesperson Hong Ik-pyo's Post-High-Level Party-Government Meeting Briefing: "Maximum Lockdown Policy Implementation... Government Announcement Coming Soon"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The Democratic Party of Korea clarified that the briefing content from the high-level party-government consultation stating that the strictest lockdown policy would be implemented in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region does not mean a complete blockade of entry and exit to the area.

Hong Ik-pyo, the senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said at a briefing held at the party headquarters on the morning of the 25th after the high-level party-government consultation, "The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Cheongdo area has been designated as a special infectious disease management zone, and the strictest lockdown policy beyond usual containment measures will be implemented to quickly curb the spread."

Spokesperson Hong explained the measure by saying, "The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters decided to maximize lockdown policies at this stage when community transmission is beginning, to block transmission as much as possible and actively promote quarantine measures to prevent community spread."

When asked to explain the lockdown policy in detail, he replied, "The government side is considering it," and added, "Specific details will be announced by the government through the Cabinet meeting."

However, after reports emerged based on Hong’s briefing that the government would lock down the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, the Democratic Party sent a text message to reporters clarifying that "implementing the strictest lockdown policy" means tightening the quarantine network to block the spread of COVID-19 and community transmission.

They emphasized, "It does not mean a complete blockade of entry and exit to the region. We hope there is no misunderstanding."

Meanwhile, at the high-level party-government consultation held that day, the Democratic Party, government, and Blue House discussed COVID-19 related quarantine status, mask supply stabilization measures, economic measures, and the preparation of an additional supplementary budget (Chugyeong) bill.

From the party, Co-Chairman Lee Nak-yeon, Representative Lee Hae-chan, and Floor Leader Lee In-young attended; from the government, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, and Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Noh Hyung-wook attended; and from the Blue House, Chief Policy Officer Kim Sang-jo, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs Lee Ho-seung, and Senior Secretary for Social Affairs Kim Yeon-myeong attended respectively.

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