'Tourist Destination' Gyeongju, 17 Confirmed Cases in Ten Days... Two out of Three Are Undetected Infections

Except for 1 Participant at Gwanghwamun Rally, 75 Days of 'Cheongjeong Area'
Unidentified Infection Sources Surge Since September 11

On September 14, workers in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, are clearing grass at an ancient tomb in Hyohyeon-dong, believed to be the burial site of King Beopheung, the 23rd ruler of Silla. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] In Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have erupted within ten days, causing local residents to be engulfed in fear.

Gyeongju, a typical 'urban-rural complex city' with a population of only about 250,000, had maintained a generally calm atmosphere since mid-March when about 20 people were sequentially infected with COVID-19 centered around a downtown restaurant, experiencing a major outbreak.

Since July, when foreign workers from Uzbekistan and other countries began returning to industrial complexes and rural labor markets (the 54th case on July 4), the confirmed cases in the Gyeongju area were mostly imported cases. Even during the nationwide surge following the Seoul Gwanghwamun rally, Gyeongju recorded only one case on August 20 (the 60th confirmed case).

However, the atmosphere changed noticeably in mid-September. After a participant in the Chilgok wild ginseng (Jangnoesam) business briefing in Gyeongbuk was confirmed positive on the 11th (67th case), community infection cases have been erupting daily in Gyeongju.

Starting from the 67th confirmed case, there were 1 case each on the 14th and 15th, 4 cases on the 16th, 3 cases each on the 17th, 18th, and 19th, and 1 case on the 20th, totaling 17 confirmed cases. Among them, some are related to the Jangnoesam briefing, but most are so-called 'unknown infection route' cases, which is causing even greater fear among residents. Of the 17 cases in the past ten days, 12 are unknown infection route cases.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 21st, a woman in her 60s living in Seongdong-dong, Gyeongju, was asymptomatic but tested positive after being classified as a contact of her younger sister (82nd case - in her 40s) on the 19th, earning the label 'Gyeongju 84th confirmed case.' The husband of this woman’s younger sister (78th case) had also been confirmed positive two days earlier.

A prominent feature of the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Gyeongju is the chain of unknown infections like the 84th case. The mother (83rd and 81st cases) of a 3rd-year student at Munhwa High School (79th case) and a 2nd-year student at Gyerim Middle School (80th case), confirmed on the 18th, were also consecutively confirmed positive, but their infection routes remain unidentified. Besides these, there has been no epidemiological investigation result for cases 70, confirmed on the 15th, and cases 71 to 73 and 75.

As community infections spread like this, Gyeongju City raised the social distancing level from 1.5 to 2 starting on the 19th and entered an emergency system by expanding the mandatory mask-wearing to all areas.

High-risk facilities such as entertainment venues and karaoke bars in Gyeongju, as well as gyms and bathhouses within apartment complexes, are completely banned from operation until October 4, and daycare centers and kindergartens are expected to remain closed until after Chuseok.

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