Seoul City Requests Testing for 10,576 People Including Those Staying Near Gwanghwamun Rally (Update)

Citizens Not Participating in the Rally Also at Risk of Infection

On the 14th, as the COVID-19 situation worsens mainly in the metropolitan area, a notice banning assemblies was installed at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Large-scale rallies are expected to be forcibly held in downtown Seoul on August 15, Liberation Day, prompting the Seoul Metropolitan Government and police to remain on high alert. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government secured the list of 10,576 citizens who stayed near Gwanghwamun during the Gwangbokjeol rally on the 15th and requested them to undergo testing for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Park Yu-mi, Director of the Citizen Health Bureau and Quarantine Controller of the Seoul Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, held an emergency briefing on the afternoon of the 22nd and stated, "At 6 p.m. on the 21st, we received from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) the list and phone numbers of citizens who stayed for more than 30 minutes near the Gwanghwamun rally site from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the 15th."

This list was confirmed through base station information from the three major mobile carriers. The quarantine authorities believe that testing is necessary even for those who were simply present and not participants in the rally due to the risk of infection.

Director Park explained, "The CDSCH individually sent text messages to all the targeted individuals yesterday," adding, "The city sent the corresponding phone numbers to each district office around 8 p.m. yesterday." She continued, "The district offices will contact the citizens over the next two days, today and tomorrow," urging, "Citizens who receive contact should get tested at the nearest public health center screening clinic."

Meanwhile, after Seoul imposed a ban on all gatherings of 10 or more people, most of the approximately 1,600 rallies scheduled across Seoul on the first weekend, the 22nd, were canceled. Director Park emphasized, "Only 52 gatherings of fewer than 10 people among the reported rallies will proceed," and warned, "We will take measures such as police reports against all acts violating the assembly ban."

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