Changwon City Files Complaints Against 'Local Infection Spreaders'... What Is the Level of Punishment?

11 Suspects Refusing Inspection Referred for Investigation... Lawsuits Including Claim for Damages Filed Against Changwon No.51

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] On the 31st, Changwon City in Gyeongnam announced that it has filed a complaint against Changwon Patient No. 51 for violating epidemiological investigation rules, refusing testing, and violating Gyeongnam Province administrative orders, which caused enormous social costs, and has requested an investigation for 11 individuals who are either refusing testing or are unreachable.

According to the city, it was confirmed that Changwon Patient No. 51 attended the Gwanghwamun rally by chartered bus, but was not included in the list submitted by the group leader.

Therefore, the city plans to file a "claim for reimbursement" within today against Changwon Patient No. 51 and the responsible group leader, calculating all costs incurred not only for the patient's hospitalization and treatment but also for the self-quarantine of contacts, diagnostic testing, and disinfection.

According to Article 79 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, those who violate epidemiological investigations, refuse or obstruct on-site investigations without justifiable reasons, refuse or obstruct safety management inspections, evade such inspections, or refuse to provide requested information may be subject to imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million KRW.

Furthermore, Article 79-3 of the same law states that those who refuse hospitalization or treatment, or refuse quarantine measures, may be punished with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.

Heo Seong-mu, Mayor of Changwon City, warned, "Due to one person's lie, enormous social costs have been incurred and innocent people are paying a heavy price," adding, "We will strictly hold accountable those who threaten the lives and safety of citizens in the future."

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