Gwanghwamun Empty but Amusement Park Crowded... Criticism of Biased Quarantine Measures

On the morning of October 3rd, National Foundation Day, police buses lined up on the Gwanghwamun road in Seoul to block sudden rallies and protests.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Nah Han-ah] While the government enforced a 'zero-tolerance policy' for COVID-19 prevention by sealing off the Gwanghwamun area in Seoul on October 3rd, National Foundation Day, to control gatherings, some amusement parks and markets were crowded with people, showing no social distancing at all, raising concerns that only specific locations were being controlled.

On October 4th, photos comparing the crowded Everland in Yongin with the empty Gwanghwamun Plaza were posted on social networking services (SNS) such as Twitter and Facebook.

The photos were accompanied by comments criticizing the government for controlling Gwanghwamun while failing to enforce social distancing in crowded places.

Earlier, on National Foundation Day, parking lots at Everland and Seoul Grand Park were congested with vehicles and crowds from the entrance. People lined up in long queues in front of the Everland ticket booths, and popular rides reportedly had average waiting times exceeding 90 minutes.

The same was true for markets and department stores. During the Chuseok holiday, media and SNS reported scenes of crowded places where social distancing was not observed.

However, during the Chuseok holiday, Gwanghwamun showed the opposite scene. Subway entrances leading to the plaza were blocked for COVID-19 prevention, and police buses were densely stationed around the plaza.

One netizen criticized the government and police response, saying, "COVID-19 does not only appear at rally sites, so is it effective to ban only the Gwanghwamun rally?" Another netizen pointed out the biased prevention measures focused only on the Gwanghwamun rally, stating, "They should not only block conservative group rallies but implement proper prevention measures realistically."

Earlier, the court conditionally allowed the National Foundation Day vehicle rally under 'nine conditions,' partially restricting gatherings and demonstrations. In contrast, the government and police responded strongly, stating, "No modified gatherings will be allowed."

Meanwhile, conservative groups have announced additional rallies and press conferences on October 9th, Hangeul Day, and the police stated they would respond strictly again by 'sealing off Gwanghwamun' if large-scale rallies are forcibly held. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun emphasized at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on the 4th, "The government will not allow gatherings to protect the lives and safety of the people."

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