County Reports 1 Additional COVID-19 Case... Elevates to Level 1.5 (Comprehensive)

Minister of National Defense Suh Wook held an emergency key commanders meeting on COVID-19 response and raised the social distancing guidelines to level 1.5 for units in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon region.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As the military continues to report additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), it has decided to apply 'Social Distancing' Level 1.5 to units in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon region.

On the 16th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it made this decision after holding an emergency key commanders meeting on COVID-19 response chaired by Minister of National Defense Seo Wook that morning.

From the 17th to the 29th, soldiers in units located in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon region will be allowed to take leave or go out under the condition of complying with quarantine rules as before. However, for soldiers in areas where cluster infections have occurred, leave is recommended to be postponed based on the judgment of on-site commanders. In particular, for officers in the Gangwon region, Social Distancing Level 2 will be applied during the same period, with the principle of waiting in the dormitory after work and refraining from dinners or private gatherings. Going out is allowed if necessary.

Under Social Distancing Level 1.5 quarantine control, the military recommends postponing soldiers' leave based on the judgment of the commanders of the respective regional units, and at Level 2.5, the Ministry of National Defense will fully control soldiers' leave.

Recently, as cluster infections occurred at the Yongsan Armed Forces Welfare Service in Seoul and confirmed cases continued to appear in the Ministry of National Defense premises and the Ministry of National Defense direct units in Inje, Gangwon Province, it is interpreted that proactive measures were taken regardless of government quarantine guidelines.

On the 15th, a confirmed COVID-19 case was reported within the Ministry of National Defense premises in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, for the first time in about three months. The confirmed case within the premises was an officer A from the Cyber Operations Command, a direct unit of the Ministry of National Defense, who tested positive after being confirmed to have had contact with a civilian confirmed case. The Cyber Command is located in an annex building within the Ministry of National Defense premises. The military and health authorities plan to conduct comprehensive testing based on the ongoing epidemiological investigation results of the unit.

The last confirmed case within the Yongsan-gu premises, where the Ministry of National Defense headquarters is located, was on August 26, when a civilian employee of the Cyber Command tested positive. The Cyber Command has had three confirmed cases so far, including the May incident identified as the starting point of the so-called 'Itaewon-origin military confirmed cases,' which caused controversy, the August civilian employee case, and the current case.

In particular, recently, although outside the Yongsan premises, a large number of confirmed cases have emerged at the Armed Forces Welfare Service, a direct unit with frequent external contacts due to its nature, leading to additional testing of personnel working within the premises whose movement paths overlapped. This has heightened concerns as confirmed cases have now appeared within the premises.

Meanwhile, one more confirmed COVID-19 case was reported in a unit responsible for managing the military mart (PX) in the Inje area of Gangwon Province. As of this date, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the military is 197, with 36 currently receiving treatment.

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