Ha Tae-kyung: "Deputy Minister Choo Mi-ae Responsible for Dongbu Detention Center Cluster Infection... Incompetent Minister"

Ha Tae-kyung, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] On the 28th, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Justice, regarding the outbreak of a COVID-19 cluster infection at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center, saying, "As the person ultimately responsible for the operation of the detention center, Minister Choo must take responsibility," and called her "the most incompetent minister in the history of the constitutional government."

On the 28th, Ha posted on his Facebook, "Just as President Moon Jae-in promoted K-quarantine while neglecting vaccines, Minister Choo was too busy chasing Yoon Seok-yeol out to focus on her primary duty of managing inmates," he said.

Ha pointed out, "There were 541 confirmed COVID-19 cases at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center. This is the highest number of confirmed cases among government-operated facilities," and called it "a clear man-made disaster."

He continued, "Detention centers, being densely populated facilities, are vulnerable to COVID-19 and require especially careful quarantine measures. In particular, the Eastern Detention Center has strong characteristics of the '3 Cs'?crowded, close-contact, and confined spaces?more so than other detention centers, so even stricter quarantine measures were necessary," adding, "However, inmates were not even provided masks until confirmed cases were discovered, and there were significant gaps in contact management. Despite the quarantine authorities' warnings, poor quarantine management led to a large-scale outbreak."

He then emphasized, "The responsibility for the mass infection at the Eastern Detention Center lies with Minister Choo, who is ultimately responsible for the operation of the detention center," and criticized, "Minister Choo will be recorded not only as a malicious figure in the history of the Republic of Korea's constitutional government but also as the most incompetent minister."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Justice, as of midnight on the 28th, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among inmates at the Eastern Detention Center was 488, with 21 staff members and 6 released inmates, totaling 515 cases.

According to correctional authorities, among the confirmed cases at the Eastern Detention Center, 350 individuals were transferred on the morning of the 28th to the Gyeongbuk Northern Second Prison (Cheongsong Prison) in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Those transferred were asymptomatic or mild cases, while inmates with underlying conditions and elderly inmates remained at the Eastern Detention Center.

The 350 transferred to Cheongsong Prison will be housed individually and are scheduled to return to the Eastern Detention Center after being declared fully recovered. Cheongsong Prison announced that it will mobilize 14 medical staff (5 doctors and 9 nurses) and 200 prison staff to focus on intensive care.

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