Cannot Stop or Turn... Gongjang Kongjang Geungjang

On the 11th, as confirmed COVID-19 cases increased due to a cluster infection at a call center on the 11th floor of the Korea Building in Sindorim-dong, citizens wearing masks are using the subway at Sindorim Station in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] As employees at Hanwha Total Research Institute in Seosan, Chungnam, and Samsung Electronics Call Center in Daegu were simultaneously diagnosed with COVID-19, concerns are rising that a 'second Guro Call Center' incident could reoccur, especially in industrial sites. Although companies are participating in 'social distancing' measures such as remote work, flexible hours, and shared vacations, essential personnel must be maintained at each workplace, making it difficult to completely prevent the possibility of mass infections.

◇An unstoppable industrial site, anxiously fearing becoming a 'virus incubator' = According to Chungnam Province and Hanwha Group on the 11th, three additional employees at Hanwha Total Research Institute in Daesan Industrial Complex, Seosan, were infected with COVID-19 that day. The three confirmed cases are colleagues of a researcher in their 50s at Hanwha Total who was the first confirmed case in the Seosan area the previous day. This brings the total number of confirmed cases at the Hanwha Total Research Institute to five and the total infections in Seosan to six.

Health authorities and Hanwha Total are currently conducting tests on about 110 people, including 77 colleagues working in the same research building as the first confirmed case and 38 people who shared the commuter bus. A Hanwha Group official said, "The research building has been closed, and tests are being conducted on close contacts. Since the research facilities and production facilities operate separately, we do not expect a large-scale spread, but we are not letting our guard down regarding future developments."

At the Samsung Electronics Call Center in Daegu, where about 250 employees work, five employees have also tested positive. After the first confirmed case on the 28th of last month, infections have been continuously confirmed, leading to the closure of the call center office. All employees, including confirmed cases and close contacts, underwent diagnostic testing. They are currently in self-quarantine awaiting test results, so there is a possibility of additional confirmed cases.

As infections have occurred in facilities related to large corporations, companies are strengthening quarantine and infectious disease prevention measures at research and industrial sites. Considering that not all employees can work remotely, elevators and office spaces are disinfected two to three times a day, and individual temperature checks are conducted frequently. Cameras for fever screening have also been installed at the first-floor entrance. Some employees have been assigned to remote work using IT technology.

The industry fears that second and third industrial site infection incidents resembling the COVID-19 cluster at the Guro Call Center could occur at any time. Even if contact between employees is minimized, transmission is possible during breaks or commuting times. Especially, asymptomatic infected individuals without fever symptoms can exacerbate the situation, increasing calls for stronger quarantine measures at industrial sites.

◇Major corporate production sites face 'intermittent halts'... perfect quarantine impossible = Although companies are desperately trying to prevent the spread of infection, it is nearly impossible to prevent confirmed cases in industrial sites where large numbers of workers are employed. At Samsung Electronics' Gumi plant, after a confirmed COVID-19 case on the 22nd of last month, four additional cases were confirmed. Following the consecutive cases, Samsung Electronics suspended smartphone production lines three times. Consequently, Samsung decided to temporarily produce premium smartphones such as the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note10, which were manufactured in Gumi, in Vietnam.

LG Group affiliates' production sites, including LG Display Gumi plant and LG Innotek Gumi plant, also temporarily halted operations due to COVID-19. The defense contractor Hanwha's Gumi factory was temporarily closed after confirmed cases occurred. Hyundai Motor's Ulsan plant and Hyundai Construction Equipment's Ulsan plant also temporarily suspended production lines due to COVID-19.

An industry official said, "There is no safe zone anymore, from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, the core area of Korean manufacturing, to large corporate sites nationwide. Companies are minimizing performance deterioration caused by supply chain disruptions while also taking on the role of a firewall to prevent the spread of infections in local communities."

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