Park Beom-gye "Maintain COVID-19 Alert Level"... Extension of Emergency Response Team Operation

Decision to Maintain Current Operating System Until End of June... Strengthening Cooperation with Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and Key Agencies

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] To prevent the spread of COVID-19 from overseas inflow, the Ministry of Justice has decided to extend the operation of the 'Border Safety Emergency Response Team.' Although it was organized as a six-month temporary operation system in August last year, this measure follows the directive of Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye to maintain a heightened level of alert in responding to COVID-19.

According to the legal community on the 24th, the Ministry of Justice recently conveyed its opinion to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to extend the operation period of the 'Border Safety Emergency Response Team' until June 26, and received final approval.

The 'Border Safety Emergency Response Team' was established in August last year to block the overseas inflow of COVID-19. Its main tasks include managing confirmed COVID-19 cases, self-quarantined individuals, and facility-quarantined persons among foreign residents and entrants, as well as responding to violations of related measures. It also provides relevant information to key institutions such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Although the team was originally scheduled to conclude its activities on the 26th, Minister Park ordered an extension of its operation following the government's assessment that the COVID-19 spread has not yet stabilized. Earlier this month, Minister Park, who personally visited the Incheon Airport Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice, reportedly urged the emergency response team not to relax the COVID-19 quarantine system to ensure public stability.

The emergency response team, whose operation period has been extended until the end of June, will focus on supporting the Central Accident Response Headquarters and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters under the jurisdiction of the Immigration and Foreign Policy Headquarters, which handles the largest share of foreigner-related COVID-19 response tasks. It plans to function as a control tower divided into three teams: General Response Team, Domestic and Overseas Response Team, and Emergency Situation Response Team.

The Ministry of Justice intends to maintain the current quarantine system as much as possible given the ongoing spread of COVID-19. Minister Park’s visit to the Daejeon Probation Office on the same day, following his earlier visit to the Incheon Airport Immigration Office and his first schedule after taking office to visit the Seoul Eastern Detention Center where a mass infection occurred, is in line with this approach to directly inspect the field.

Meanwhile, after visiting the Daejeon Probation Office, Minister Park plans to stop by the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office in the afternoon to hold a meeting with senior officials, including Chief Prosecutor Kang Nam-il, to discuss ways to improve the efficiency of the high prosecutor’s office operations. The Ministry of Justice stated that Minister Park has no plans to visit the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating the 'Wolseong Unit 1 Economic Feasibility Evaluation Manipulation Allegation,' nor to meet with its affiliated officials.

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