Jung Sye-kyun: "125 Confirmed Cases at Daejeon Boarding School... Concerns Over 'Second Shincheonji' Incident"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is attending a video conference of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for COVID-19 response at the Seoul Situation Center in the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room of the Government Seoul Office Building on the morning of the 25th. 2021.1.25 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Amid the occurrence of 125 new confirmed cases at a dormitory-type alternative school located in Daejeon, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 25th, "We cannot help but worry that this might escalate into a second Shincheonji or BTJ (Yeolbang Center) incident."

Prime Minister Chung attended the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 at the Government Seoul Office that morning and said, "We must firmly suppress it at the initial stage to ensure it does not become like that."

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting was originally scheduled to be chaired by Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol, but Prime Minister Chung attended directly due to the outbreak of the cluster infection in Daejeon.

Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "The most important thing is a prompt response," adding, "Looking back, the Shincheonji and BTJ Yeolbang Center cases dragged on for too long. My judgment is that such a situation must never be repeated in this case."

He then urged the quarantine authorities, saying, "The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) should deploy maximum epidemiological investigation capabilities to quickly establish a quarantine network and block further spread," and "The Central Accident Response Headquarters (CARH) should closely cooperate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, and local governments to view alternative schools nationwide, not just in Daejeon, as one and implement quarantine measures."

Furthermore, he said, "I hope this opportunity will be used to conduct a thorough inspection of similar alternative school dormitory facilities and promptly prepare necessary quarantine measures," and "Considering the large-scale patient outbreak, please examine whether there are any issues with the medical response system in the Chungcheong region, and if necessary, the CARH should actively seek assistance from neighboring regions."

Prime Minister Chung reiterated, "To prevent this from becoming a second Shincheonji or BTJ Yeolbang Center incident, please promptly and thoroughly identify the situation not only in this area but nationwide," and "Especially regarding the epicenter, swiftly collect information, and if cooperation is not forthcoming, I demand that necessary measures be actively implemented according to the law."

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