Police Confirm Locations of 253 Missing Attendees from 'Gwanghwamun Rally'... "Ongoing Tracking"

If Requested by Health Authorities
8,559 Rapid Response Team Members Deployed Nationwide
Concealed Cases Confirmed Positive, Multiple Prosecutions Across the Country

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It has been confirmed that the police have completed locating over 250 people who went missing after participating in the 'Gwangbokjeol Gwanghwamun Rally.' All individuals requested by the quarantine authorities have been found.

According to the National Police Agency on the 1st, the police have completed locating all 253 people who either did not undergo COVID-19 testing or lost contact after participating in the Gwanghwamun rally held on the 15th of last month, mainly organized by far-right groups, following requests from the quarantine authorities.

The police deploy a 'Rapid Response Team' consisting of 8,559 officers nationwide to verify the whereabouts of such individuals upon requests from local governments and quarantine authorities. A police official explained, "Requests for locating participants of the Gwanghwamun rally and members of Sarang Jeil Church are continuously coming from the quarantine authorities," adding, "We promptly verify and notify the quarantine authorities to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

This case reconfirms that even if participants hide their attendance at the Gwanghwamun rally and go into hiding, they can all be found. Previously, during the Shincheonji Church of Jesus (Shincheonji) mass infection incident in February and March, the police successfully located about 9,000 people by deploying the Rapid Response Team.

Conversely, the number of people who hide their participation in rallies, test positive for COVID-19, and are subsequently reported by quarantine authorities continues to rise. Cheongju City in Chungbuk reported a person in their 70s who refused testing after attending the Gwanghwamun rally, and Changwon City in Gyeongnam plans to file a claim for damages amounting to 300 million KRW against a woman in her 40s who denied attending the rally, refused testing, and caused local infection spread. As of the 30th of last month, there are 59 ongoing police investigations for obstruction of epidemiological investigations following reports by quarantine authorities. Among these, 13 cases have been sent to the prosecution with indictments, and 4 individuals have been detained.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Sarang Jeil Church members and Gwanghwamun rally participants reached 1,455 as of noon the previous day. Cooperation with quarantine measures from these individuals is crucial to break the chain of community transmission and cluster infections. Local governments have stated that they will strictly respond by filing reports and claiming damages if rally participants refuse testing and later test positive. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, urged, "If seniors aged 50 and 60 and above delay testing, their condition may worsen to severe illness," adding, "Because they can transmit the virus not only to themselves but also to family, neighbors, and other church members, those exposed to risk should promptly get tested."

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