"Please Postpone School Attendance" Itaewon Cluster Infection 'Anxiety'... Will School Opening Be Possible?

Some Students and Parents Express Anxiety Over School Reopening
Government to Monitor Trends Before Deciding on Postponement
Experts Say "Ministry of Education Should Consider Delaying School Opening"

On the 16th of last month, when upper-grade elementary and middle and high school first and second graders had their second phase of online school opening, a teacher at Yongsan Elementary School in Seoul conducted an interactive online class.
Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] "Forcing school attendance seems unreasonable.", "Please postpone school reopening."

As a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) occurred at clubs in Itaewon, Seoul, voices calling for delaying the start of school are growing louder.

Since students' in-person classes are scheduled to begin sequentially starting with 3rd-year high school students on the 13th, there are concerns that this could lead to a cluster infection.

In particular, it is known that more than one-third of the club visitors are currently unreachable, which is increasing anxiety. The government’s stance is to observe until before the school attendance begins, stating that the results may vary depending on the epidemiological investigation.

The Ministry of Education announced on the 4th a plan for sequential school attendance starting with 3rd-year high school students on the 13th. Accordingly, on the 20th, 2nd-year high school students, 3rd-year middle school students, 1st to 2nd-grade elementary students, and kindergarteners will attend school; on the 27th, 1st-year high school students, 2nd-year middle school students, and 3rd to 4th-grade elementary students will attend; and on the 1st of next month, 1st-year middle school students and 5th to 6th-grade elementary students will attend school respectively.

The problem lies in the possibility that among those who visited the clubs or had close contact, there may be students or teachers. If an infected person emerges, there are concerns that cluster infections at the start of school cannot be avoided.

As a result, anxiety among parents and students is growing. Mrs. A, a woman in her 40s with two elementary school children, said, "Confirmed cases from Itaewon clubs are pouring out," adding, "I am already anxious about the kids’ school reopening, and with confirmed cases appearing here and there, it seems too soon for them to attend school."

A 3rd-year high school student preparing for college entrance exams, who is about to start school in two days, said, "While reopening school is necessary for college preparation, I am worried about confirmed cases emerging at school," and added, "If a confirmed case appears in the class, we will have to self-isolate for two weeks, which will definitely disrupt the schedule."

On the 14th of last month, hand sanitizer prepared for students was placed in a classroom of an elementary school in Anyang City.
Photo by Yonhap News

Given the situation, related petitions on the Blue House’s National Petition Board continue to be posted. Petitions titled "Please postpone school reopening" and "Opposing school reopening for valid reasons" have been submitted.

The petitioners pointed out, "Since confirmed COVID-19 cases are still occurring domestically, more caution is needed regarding school attendance," and asked, "If it is for the students’ sake, shouldn’t we wait until the coronavirus stabilizes?"

The government stated that although the COVID-19 cluster infection related to Itaewon clubs is spreading, the decision on whether to postpone school reopening should be made after observing the trend further.

Park Neunghoo, the 1st Director of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), said at a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the 10th, "Since we are still in the early stages of the epidemiological investigation, there are limitations in judging the impact of the Itaewon club infections. It is difficult to decide the students’ school attendance schedule immediately."

He added, "We will observe the spread of this incident and gather opinions from the school field to make a decision as soon as possible."

Yoo Eunhye, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, also posted on Facebook on the 10th, saying, "I understand that many people, including teachers and parents, are deeply concerned as infections related to Itaewon clubs have occurred just days before the 3rd-year high school students’ school attendance."

She added, "The government is also discussing various matters, including the degree of risk, based on the epidemiological investigation results," and emphasized, "The principle that student safety is the top priority remains unchanged. We are closely monitoring all risk situations and will carefully consider various possibilities. Currently, we are consulting with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, and metropolitan and provincial education offices."

The 'Gabong (School Disinfection with Shared Value) Volunteer Group' in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, is disinfecting a classroom at Gwangyeong High School in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 8th. Photo by Yonhap News

Experts have pointed out that postponing school reopening should be considered. Professor Lee Jaegab, an infectious disease specialist at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, said in an interview with MBC Radio's "The World and Us" on the 9th, "In fact, we have been worried about parts related to entertainment establishments since March and April," adding, "If the number increases to 100 or 200, there could be a chain reaction causing a rapid increase in patients."

He continued, "In the case of clubs, people can visit multiple places. The networking among people is strengthened, and many people can transmit the virus to others again, which is no different from Shincheonji in nature."

He urged, "The Ministry of Education and the CDSCH should check the patterns of community infections over the weekend and reconsider whether it is really safe to proceed with school reopening," and added, "Especially, if some teachers visited Itaewon, the Ministry of Education should prepare measures such as conducting tests beforehand before they attend classes."

Meanwhile, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 10th, as of 11 p.m. that day, 72 confirmed COVID-19 cases related to the Itaewon clubs have been reported.

Starting from one man in his 20s on the 6th, 71 additional cases were confirmed within four days. Fifty-nine people directly visited Itaewon clubs and five pubs, while the rest were family members or coworkers.

Also, among 5,517 visitors who went to Itaewon clubs during the holiday, 1,982 (36%) are unreachable. It is known that most of them provided false names or phone numbers.

Quarantine authorities and some local governments have ordered COVID-19 testing and prohibition of close contact for visitors to six clubs in the Itaewon area (King Club, Queen Club, Trunk, The Fountain, Soho, HIM) and the Black Sleeping Room in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, which was visited by a confirmed case residing in Anyang.

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