"Giving Up Returning Home" vs "Paying Fines to Visit Hometown"... Conflicting Lunar New Year Social Distancing Views

Unable to Return Home Due to Ban on Gatherings of 5 or More
Relay-Style Visit Plans Being Made
Major Hotels and Resorts Report Full Occupancy

In-Person Worship Allowed but Family Gatherings Prohibited
"Is It Okay If Family Gatherings Are Held at Church?" Sarcasm Arises
Inconsistent Quarantine Measures Under Scrutiny

On the 3rd, when the number of new COVID-19 cases increased to 467, rising again to the 400s after four days, citizens were filling out questionnaires to receive diagnostic tests at the screening clinic of Yeongdeungpo-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight that day, there were 433 new domestic COVID-19 cases and 34 imported cases. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Byungdon Yoo, Seungyoon Song, Jeongyun Lee] "I couldn't visit my hometown during Chuseok, and it seems difficult to see my parents' faces this Lunar New Year as well."

Ms. Lee (35, female), who got married on the 16th of last month, has decided to forgo returning home this Lunar New Year. Although it is her first holiday after marriage, her parents and relatives discouraged her from traveling home, saying, "Many elderly people are around, so is it really necessary to come in this situation?" Lee said, "My family advised against visiting, but I still feel uneasy about it."

Following last year's Chuseok, the number of 'Gwipojok' (people who give up returning home) is increasing this Lunar New Year as well. With the ongoing impact of COVID-19, traveling is burdensome, and the ban on gatherings of more than five people continuing through the holiday has fundamentally blocked family gatherings. Unlike last year, there are also quite a few 'Gwipiljok' who are determined to return home even if it means paying fines. Shin Jaemin (37, pseudonym), an office worker living in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, said, "It has been a year since I last saw my elderly parents due to COVID-19. If I bring my wife and child, it will exceed five people, but this time, even if I have to pay a fine, I want to see them and check their health condition." Some are planning 'relay-style' visits where siblings visit their parents' home at different times to avoid exceeding five people.

Instead of meeting relatives or family, many are planning trips with fewer than five people, known as 'Seolcance' (Seol + vacation) or 'Gwihyojok' (vacation instead of returning home). During the Lunar New Year holiday, major hotels and resorts nationwide are already fully booked. The same goes for popular pensions, glamping sites, and kids' pensions in tourist areas such as Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. Online, debates about returning home continue. On local mom cafes and other forums, posts expressing concerns about returning home, such as "My husband insists on visiting his hometown" or "I ended up going because of my in-laws' insistence," are easy to find.

There are also widespread reactions that government guidelines prohibiting gatherings of five or more people even among immediate family members living at different addresses are excessive. According to the 'Public Perception Survey on Social Distancing' announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 2nd, 85.7% of respondents said that bans on gatherings of five or more people should be implemented if COVID-19 resurges, but 56.1% said meetings among family members that are not private gatherings should be allowed. While in-person worship at religious facilities is allowed with restrictions, family gatherings are banned, leading to ongoing criticism about inconsistency. Some sarcastically comment, "Isn't it okay if the whole family gathers at church?" Professor Kim Woojoo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, explained, "Banning even gatherings among immediate family members seems to excessively restrict personal freedom compared to the current number of COVID-19 cases. It is inconsistent to ease restrictions on self-employed businesses while blocking family meetings."

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