[Summary] "Reflect First" Criticism of Kwon Young-jin's Self-Praise on COVID-19 Achievements

"Focused Only on Boosting Quarantine Response" Criticism from Daegu and Gyeongbuk Civic Groups

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin is delivering a public address at Daegu City Hall on the morning of the 7th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Daegu City, where a flood of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) occurred, is facing fierce criticism from civic groups as it conducts interviews about its quarantine response process.

On the 30th of last month, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Health and Welfare Organizations Solidarity Conference (Solidarity Conference), composed of eight health and welfare organizations from Daegu and Gyeongbuk including the Daegu Regional Branch and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Headquarters of the Health and Medical Workers' Union, issued a statement criticizing, "Despite the rapid increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases and the successive deaths in the region, Daegu City is only focused on promoting its quarantine response."

The Solidarity Conference pointed out, "From the beginning, everyone predicted that nursing hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and nursing homes would become vulnerable spots for COVID-19 as cluster infection areas, but the city failed to minimize the cluster infection situation by not introducing an infection control system in advance, resulting in the Daesil Nursing Hospital and the Second Miju Hospital incidents, which produced the largest cluster infection confirmed cases in the country." They added, "If Daegu City had taken a more proactive and concrete initial response, the number of deaths in the Daegu area could have been reduced."

The Solidarity Conference urged, "First, apologize to the citizens and prepare for a possible large-scale outbreak," and repeatedly emphasized, "The city must start with a painful reflection."

They also stated, "We urge proper and transparent preparation for the large-scale outbreak expected in the second half of the year through painful reflection," and criticized, "If Daegu City's initial response had been more proactive and concrete, it would have played a role in further reducing the number of deaths in the Daegu area."

Shin Eun-jung, head of the Daegu branch of the Medical Solidarity Headquarters of the Public Transport Workers' Union, criticized, "As the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, which responded quickly and accurately to the COVID-19 situation, received praise from overseas media, Daegu City is also jumping on the bandwagon and engaging in empty praise," and added, "The administration should prioritize embracing the medical staff who fought desperately to treat confirmed cases and the citizens who practiced social (physical) distancing despite the inconveniences."

On March 1st, around 50 soldiers from the 2nd Operations Command conducted disinfection and quarantine operations to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus around Sincheonji Daegu Church in Nam-gu, Daegu, forgetting even the holiday.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 28th of last month, Japan's Asahi Shimbun visited Daegu for an interview with Mayor Kwon Young-jin. The newspaper asked Mayor Kwon about the reasons and measures behind Daegu's exemplary and leading ability to overcome the spread of COVID-19.

They also inquired about the operation method of the residential treatment centers introduced by Daegu and the secret to preventing the collapse of the medical system despite hundreds of new patients emerging collectively each day.

On the 6th, the German weekly magazine "Der Spiegel" introduced Daegu City's COVID-19 quarantine as a model case in an article titled "South Korea's Successful COVID Strategy."

At the end of February, the US ABC network also covered the Daegu site. At that time, the correspondent said, "There is no panic, no riots, no hatred here. Calmness and tranquility endure." They reported, "Daegu is a model of life for this era that must overcome COVID-19."

Meanwhile, on the previous day (the 30th of last month), Mayor Kwon posted on his Facebook, saying, "You who fought against COVID-19, you are heroes and angels!" and explained the status of confirmed cases in Daegu City.

He said, "Today, Daegu recorded zero confirmed COVID-19 cases. The recovery rate has also exceeded 90%," and added, "All of this was possible thanks to the medical staff and firefighters who rushed from all over the country and served with dedication and sacrifice. I sincerely express my respect and gratitude."

He continued, "Also, I thank the numerous volunteers and the citizens of Daegu who voluntarily participated in high-intensity social distancing for over two months, as well as the people nationwide who supported Daegu and Gyeongbuk."

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