Daejeon and Chungnam Confirmed Cases Increase... Concerns Over 'Sudogwonbal' COVID-19 Resurgence

On the 15th, participants of the rally including Sarang Jeil Church and the National Movement Headquarters for Setting the Republic of Korea Right filled Sejong-daero in front of Dongwha Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Concerns about the resurgence of COVID-19 are growing in the Daejeon and Chungnam regions. This is due to a rapid increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the area, linked to the resurgence originating from the Seoul metropolitan area.

According to Daejeon City and Chungnam Province on the 21st, from the 19th to the 21st (as of 8 a.m.), 11 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Daejeon and 14 in Chungnam. The cumulative confirmed cases currently stand at 188 in Daejeon and 238 in Chungnam.

Daejeon and Chungnam had shown a lull in the trend of confirmed COVID-19 cases for some time. For example, Daejeon reported no new cases for 23 days from the 18th of last month to the 9th of this month. However, starting with one overseas entrant (#167) confirmed positive on the 10th, the number of confirmed cases in the region has increased by 21 to date.

Notably, among the 21 confirmed cases since the 10th, 18 were concentrated on the 19th (7 cases), 20th (10 cases), and as of 8 a.m. on the 21st (1 case). The city has identified that 17 of these cases are directly or indirectly linked to the resurgence in the Seoul metropolitan area, including the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul and the August 15th Liberation Day rally in Gwanghwamun.

From the 19th to the 21st, seven local confirmed cases (#175~179, #184, #188) were confirmed to have contact related to the Gwanghwamun rally in Seoul, two cases (#169~170) were linked to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, and six cases (#168, #171~174) were confirmed after contact with confirmed cases from the metropolitan area. Other confirmed cases are currently under epidemiological investigation, and their infection routes have not been clearly identified.

The situation in Chungnam is not significantly different from that in Daejeon. From the 1st to the 20th of this month, a total of 48 confirmed cases were reported in the region, with 36 of these occurring after the 15th.

Regarding this, a provincial official stated, "Chungnam is adjacent to the metropolitan area (Cheonan, Asan, etc.), and human exchanges are active, raising concerns about the spread of infections originating from the metropolitan area." The official added, "As of the 16th, among 17 confirmed cases, 11 were primarily infected through the metropolitan area, and one was secondarily infected."

The problem is that, besides the confirmed cases so far, there is a high possibility of additional cases occurring, and it is difficult to accurately identify the number of attendees at events such as the Gwanghwamun rally, which served as a link for the resurgence.

A city official said, "On Liberation Day in Daejeon, approximately 750 or more people attended the Gwanghwamun rally (based on chartered bus association vehicle movements)." However, the official lamented, "As is common nationwide, it is practically impossible to identify all individuals who traveled separately in Daejeon."

The official added, "Currently, at the central response headquarters level, efforts are underway to secure the list of rally attendees through location tracking via base stations around the rally site." The city plans to "form a rapid response team as soon as the list is secured to ensure that all attendees can undergo diagnostic testing promptly."

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