50s Caught Going Fishing During Self-Quarantine Without Phone... Wanju-gun Files Complaint

After Visiting Myanmar on the 28th, Self-Quarantine in Wanju-gun
Wanju-gun Deems 'Highly Intentional'... Takes Legal Action

A man in his 50s who was under self-quarantine in Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk, was reported to the police for leaving his residence without permission, leaving his mobile phone behind to go fishing. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] A man in his 50s who was under self-quarantine in Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk, was reported to the police for leaving his residence without permission to go fishing, leaving his mobile phone behind.

According to Jeonbuk Province and Wanju-gun on the 8th, Mr. A (53) was confirmed to have left his quarantine location at his home in Bongdong, Wanju, for 10 hours and 40 minutes from 7 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. on the previous day (7th) to fish at a nearby stream.

It was also investigated that Mr. A left the quarantine site again for about 4 hours around 4:10 a.m. on the 8th.

Earlier, Mr. A had entered from Myanmar on the 28th of last month, tested negative for COVID-19 on the 29th, and was under self-quarantine at home. The self-quarantine was scheduled to end on the 12th.

The Wanju-gun dedicated official identified Mr. A’s unauthorized departure through an unannounced phone check around 1 p.m. on the 7th and immediately conducted a joint search with the police.

However, Mr. A left his home again around 4 a.m. on the 8th and returned around 8:30 a.m., four hours later.

In particular, the investigation revealed that Mr. A left his phone at home after submitting the self-diagnosis results via the safety protection app before going out.

The administrative authorities believe that Mr. A’s act was intentional, considering that he left his phone at home to avoid GPS tracking and completed the self-diagnosis on the “Self-Quarantine Safety Protection App” just before leaving the quarantine site.

Accordingly, Wanju-gun classified Mr. A’s action as intentional unauthorized departure and filed a complaint with the police on the 8th under a zero-tolerance policy.

Meanwhile, Mr. A is expected to face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

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