Daegu City Cancels COVID-19 'Volunteer Appreciation Event'... Invites Criticism of 'Showy Administration'

Daegu City and Public Corporations Plan Performance Using 300 Drones at E-World
Daegu City Sends Official Letter Requesting Participant Lists from Base and Dedicated Hospitals
Union Demands Cancellation, Saying "Medical Staff Do Not Need Such Showy

At the COVID-19 emergency economic measures meeting, Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin is seen greeting participants with a fist bump.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Regarding the large-scale encouragement event planned for volunteers responding to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Daegu City has requested the Korea Tourism Organization to cancel the event.

On the 8th, it was revealed that Daegu City and the Korea Tourism Organization were preparing such an event, which led the labor unions of Daegu's COVID-19 base and dedicated hospitals to criticize it as 'showy administration' and protest, prompting this action.

On the night of the 8th, Daegu City explained through a press release, "The official letter requesting the submission of participant lists sent by the responsible department (to the base and dedicated hospitals) was judged to be a practical-level official letter sent at the request of the Tourism Organization during the event planning stage." It added, "At the city's quarantine countermeasure meeting, it was judged that it was still too early to hold this event, and there was a consensus that it would be better to postpone the event until the COVID-19 situation stabilizes."

Earlier, the labor unions of Daegu's COVID-19 base and dedicated hospitals issued a statement on the 8th, saying, "We are angry at Daegu City's showy administration. The local COVID-19 response medical staff do not need such performative encouragement," urging the cancellation of the event.

The unions' position came after Daegu City requested the participant lists from hospitals while preparing an event on the 23rd at E-World in Dalseo-gu, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, to encourage 500 medical staff and other COVID-19 response volunteers.

Daegu City and the Korea Tourism Organization were reportedly planning a performance involving 300 drones for this event and an event providing invited medical staff and volunteers with free admission tickets to E-World.

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