"Sarangjeil Actively Exercises Subrogation Rights Against Quarantine Obstruction" (Comprehensive)

Prime Minister Jeong: "Will Hold Accountable for Compensation and Other Responsibilities"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is delivering opening remarks at the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters Meeting for COVID-19 Response' held on the 19th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy reporters Kwangho Lee and Sunhee Son] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 19th, "The government will strictly hold legal responsibility for acts that obstruct diagnostic testing and epidemiological investigations by quarantine authorities." He also expressed, "We will actively exercise claims for reimbursement of medical expenses and compensation for damages caused by additional infections resulting from such acts."

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Prime Minister Chung said, "We must quickly identify and isolate infected individuals to prevent further spread and avoid a serious situation like that in Daegu and Gyeongbuk."

He added, "Especially amid concerns about the nationwide spread of infections originating from Sarang Jeil Church, the church has not submitted an accurate list, and diagnostic testing has not yet been completed." He instructed, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government should cooperate with the police and prosecution to secure an accurate list as soon as possible through administrative investigations and other legal measures."

About 8 out of 10 citizens also support claiming compensation rights against those who obstruct quarantine activities. According to a public opinion poll conducted by Realmeter, a professional polling agency, surveying 500 adults nationwide (total calls 6,605, response rate 7.6%), an overwhelming majority of 79.7% supported claiming compensation rights for COVID-19 quarantine obstruction, while only 17.4% opposed.

Regarding calls to raise the social distancing level to Level 3, Prime Minister Chung said, "The current situation does not meet the criteria for Level 3." The criteria for raising social distancing to Level 3 include an average of more than 100 new daily cases over two weeks and confirmed cases doubling more than twice a week. He emphasized, "If raised to Level 3, gatherings of more than 10 people would be banned, and operations of medium-risk facilities would be suspended, causing tremendous shock to citizens' lives and the economy of ordinary people. The urgent task now is to curb the spread to avoid reaching a situation that requires raising to Level 3."

Meanwhile, Kim Sang-jo, Chief of the Presidential Office Policy Office, said in an interview with JTBC Newsroom the previous day, "The situation is very serious," and added, "We have issued Level 2 social distancing measures in the metropolitan area, and if it is judged that control is not possible with these measures, we will promptly decide to raise the level."

In response to criticism that the government hastily eased gathering bans and promoted economic activities such as dining out and travel with consumption coupons despite warnings from quarantine experts about a 'second resurgence,' Kim explained, "Policies like temporary holidays and consumption coupons were not decided overnight. The timing of implementation is flexibly determined based on the quarantine situation, and it was decided after reviewing last month's situation."

The Blue House is closely monitoring the situation under extreme tension. It holds daily COVID-19 inspection meetings chaired by Lee Jin-seok, Director of the National Situation Room, responding almost in real-time. Additionally, the Office of Public Service Discipline sent text notifications to all Blue House staff, requesting "to minimize contact with outsiders and refrain as much as possible from unnecessary external activities such as drinking and gatherings until the end of this month."

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