청 "Cheong Wa Dae Implements Distributed and Remote Work for Emergency Response" (Update)

COVID-19 Emergency Response, Nighttime Response by Key Chief Offices Centered on the National Situation Room... "Emergency Response for Uninterrupted Government Operations"

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Kim Dong-pyo] The Blue House has prepared plans for dispersed work and telecommuting for its staff in response to the emergency situation caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Additionally, the Blue House decided to respond during nighttime hours centered around the National Situation Room and the Social Policy Secretary’s Office.

Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Blue House, stated in a briefing at the Chuncheon Press Center on the 25th, "The Blue House has already informed that it will operate a 24-hour response system centered on the Crisis Management Center in response to the spread of COVID-19," and added, "separately, the National Situation Room and the Social Policy Secretary’s Office, along with the offices of Political Affairs, Civil Affairs, Economy, and Public Communication, will take charge of nighttime response efforts."

In particular, Spokesperson Kang explained, "With the nationwide implementation of social distancing level 2 and in response to the emergency, each chief secretary’s office and secretary’s office has decided to prepare measures such as setting up separate (office) spaces for dispersed work or telecommuting," and "this follows President Moon Jae-in’s directive that the Blue House should take the lead in extraordinary response efforts."

View of the Blue House from Namsan, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Spokesperson Kang added, "Dispersed work and telecommuting are not only measures to reduce office density as part of social distancing but also emergency responses to ensure uninterrupted national administration."

He further explained, "Just from this morning’s media reports, not only the headquarters of large corporations but also six ruling party lawmakers are under self-quarantine. We do not know when, where, or how confirmed cases will emerge," and "these emergency measures are being implemented with the worst-case scenario of confirmed cases in mind and are a kind of last-resort strategy."

Meanwhile, a key Blue House official commented on President Moon’s mention of social distancing level 3 during the chief secretary and aide meeting on the 24th, saying, "The main point of President Moon’s remarks is to prevent the situation from escalating to social distancing level 3," and "level 2 has only recently been implemented. This week’s situation is very important."

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