'Hidden Rally Visitors' 10,576 Identified Using Base Station Data

Obtained List of 10,576 People Who Stayed Near Gwanghwamun
Preventing Nth Infection... Diagnostic Testing Recommended
Full Phone Survey Planned

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The quarantine authorities secured the contact information of 10,576 people who stayed near Gwanghwamun at the time of the rally held on the 15th through 'telecommunication base station information.'

Amid the urgent need to trace the infection chain of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which is rapidly spreading nationwide, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to recommend COVID-19 diagnostic tests to these individuals and conduct full contact tracing.

On the 22nd, Seoul announced that it received a list of 10,576 people who stayed for more than 30 minutes near the rally site in Gwanghwamun from 12 PM to 5 PM on the 15th, when the rally was held, from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH). The list contains phone numbers of citizens identified through the base station information of the three major telecom companies who stayed near the Gwanghwamun rally site for more than 30 minutes on the 15th. The cumulative number of confirmed cases related to the Gwanghwamun rally reached 104 as of the previous day. By region, there are 35 in Seoul, 25 in Gyeonggi, 10 in Gyeongbuk, 5 each in Incheon, Busan, and Daegu, 4 each in Daejeon, Chungnam, and Gyeongnam, and 2 each in Gwangju, Ulsan, and Chungbuk, with confirmed cases emerging nationwide.

This is not the first time that telecom base stations have been checked to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Telecom companies have provided base station information to quarantine authorities in relation to cluster infections at Itaewon clubs, Guro call centers, Dongdaemun PC rooms, and Seorae Village wine bars.

According to the telecommunications industry, there are two main methods of location tracking using mobile phones. One is using base stations where the phone signals converge (CPS), and the other is using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The recent tracking of telecommunication information for the Gwanghwamun rally used the CPS method utilizing base stations. Mobile phones constantly send and receive signals with base stations. Even in standby mode, they regularly communicate with nearby base stations approximately every 5 seconds to be ready to receive calls at any time. Therefore, by using base station information, it is possible to identify the location of mobile phone users in emergency situations. Especially in areas like Gwanghwamun, where the distance between base stations is densely spaced at 50 to 100 meters, the location accuracy is relatively high.

In the context of concerns about secondary infections of COVID-19, public opinion largely views tracking telecommunication information from a public health perspective as a 'necessary evil.' Professor Kim Seung-joo of Korea University's Graduate School of Information Security stated, "Since the request for telecommunication base station information was made according to the revised Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act after the MERS outbreak, it cannot be considered illegal or unlawful." He added, "Although apps based on user 'consent' have been introduced overseas, their effectiveness is controversial. In a crisis situation of infectious disease spread, it is difficult to view this issue solely from the value of personal information protection."

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