50,000 COVID-19 Complaints in Two Months Including Club Closure Inquiries

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Analyzed 52,118 Cases Over 2 Months Following Confirmed Cases
42% of Complaints on Quarantine Measures Like Group Facility Closures, 32% on Daily Life Inconveniences

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] "I would like to inquire about the closure of ○○ Club. Since there are many clubs in Mapo-gu where I live, I am afraid that the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) might spread in Seoul just like in Daegu."

Since the first COVID-19 patient was confirmed in Korea on January 20, related complaints collected over about two months have reached approximately 50,000 cases. Complaints regarding quarantine measures such as guidance for group facilities like clubs accounted for the largest portion at 42% of the total.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced on the 13th that it analyzed 52,118 COVID-19 related complaints collected in the complaint analysis system from January 20 to February 19 and is working with relevant agencies to improve various inconveniences.

The complaint analysis system is a comprehensive government-wide system that collects and analyzes complaints submitted through the National Petition System from central government ministries and local governments, as well as complaints from local governments such as Seoul and Busan that use their own complaint channels.

The Commission provided the analysis results and cases requiring improvement to 1,200 institutions including central administrative agencies such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, metropolitan and basic local governments, education offices, and public institutions.

Relevant agencies are using the complaint cases as references to promote policies aimed at minimizing public inconvenience.

The number of complaints steadily increased after the 31st confirmed case on February 18, reaching a peak of 2,549 cases on February 24.

After showing a slowing trend, complaints rose again following the daily record of 909 new confirmed cases on February 29. They gradually decreased after the announcement of mask stabilization measures on March 5.

COVID-19 related complaints were categorized as follows: quarantine measures (42%), daily life inconveniences and damage relief due to COVID-19 (32%), issues related to masks and other quarantine and preventive supplies (10.7%), and illegal acts and daily conflicts derived from anxiety about COVID-19 (8.8%).

Quarantine-related complaints mainly involved closures of group facilities, bans on group gatherings such as church services, strengthened quarantine and guidance at places where many gather such as clubs and foreigner casinos, and postponement of openings for daycare centers, kindergartens, and schools.

The government announced "strong social distancing" through a statement by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on February 22, requesting restraint on group gatherings and inspecting quarantine conditions at multi-use facilities.

There were also many complaints related to daily inconveniences such as damage relief and urgent support demands for small business owners and workers affected by the economic downturn, and disputes over fees and refunds due to cancellations or postponements of weddings, first birthday parties, and travel.

On February 25 in Daegu, a self-employed person in their 30s filed a complaint saying, "It has become very difficult to operate, so I went to apply for a support project at the Credit Guarantee Foundation, but the staff work night shifts and start at 7 a.m., and due to the large number of applicants, it takes at least a month," and requested, "Please increase the staff so that support can be received as soon as possible."

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups expanded financial support counseling personnel and application windows for small business owners on March 2, and simplified procedures such as omitting on-site inspections to shorten the review period.

Chairperson Park Eun-jung of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission stated, "We will continue to do our best with relevant agencies to ensure that the vivid voices of the people related to COVID-19 are promptly reflected in government policies." The results of the 'COVID-19' complaint analysis are disclosed through 'Big Data of Complaints at a Glance.'

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