'Half of Korea's Population' Living in the Capital Area COVID-19 Cases Surpass Daegu... Nationwide Spread Also Accelerates

On the 28th, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) worsened, citizens at the screening clinic of Guro-gu Public Health Center in Seoul received guidance from medical staff and underwent testing. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgi Na Cho] The cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Seoul metropolitan area has now surpassed Daegu, which was the epicenter of the first major outbreak linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

In particular, the recent cluster infections in the metropolitan area have a much higher proportion of so-called 'unknown source' cases, where it is unclear when and where the infection occurred, raising the alert level of health authorities. The domestic quarantine system, which has overcome numerous critical moments so far, is now at a crucial juncture where it could potentially collapse.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 28th, since the first case was reported in January, a total of 7,200 people in the metropolitan area alone have been confirmed positive as of midnight that day. By region, there are 3,532 in Seoul, 2,997 in Gyeonggi, and 671 in Incheon. This is 193 more than Daegu (7,007 cumulative cases), where a large number of cases occurred due to the Shincheonji Daegu Church cluster infection.

This is the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea that the cumulative confirmed cases in the metropolitan area have exceeded those in Daegu. Cluster infections in the metropolitan area intensified around Seoul’s Seongbuk-gu Sarang Jeil Church and the Gwanghwamun rally on Liberation Day, with new confirmed cases in the metropolitan area ranging between 100 and 300 daily for two consecutive weeks from the 15th to the present. In this month alone, 3,671 new cases were confirmed, surpassing the cumulative total of 3,529 cases from January to July. Among the 359 new domestic cases reported that day, 80% were from the metropolitan area: 146 in Seoul, 113 in Gyeonggi, and 27 in Incheon.

The problem is that the spread in the metropolitan area, home to half of South Korea’s population, is not yet believed to have peaked. Numerous so-called 'n-th generation infections' are emerging in various places, and the proportion of unknown source cases exceeds 20% in Seoul alone.

According to Seoul city’s confirmed case statistics, among the 1,783 confirmed cases in Seoul from the 1st to the 26th of this month, 392 cases (22.0%) had unknown infection routes. This rate was only 5-7% during March and April, when the COVID-19 spread was severe mainly in Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. Similar patterns are observed in Gyeonggi and Incheon as well.

As the number of confirmed cases that evade the quarantine system increases, the risk of n-th generation infections inevitably rises. Especially since the beginning of this month, confirmed cases have started to surge in everyday places such as cafes and apartment complexes, indicating that infections are widely spread throughout society. This is why Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, warned that "anyone can get infected at any time."

Moreover, the nationwide spread originating from the metropolitan area is accelerating. Just a few days ago, some regions had zero cases, but now all 17 provinces and cities have reported new confirmed cases. Looking at major infection cases, many are linked to Seoul’s Sarang Jeil Church and the large-scale Gwanghwamun rally.

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