"People Were Told Not to Gather..." Citizens Outraged Again at Politicians Violating Quarantine Rules

Jang Kyung-tae and Lee Jun-seok violate quarantine rules in '5-person gathering'... "Just stopped by to say hello"
Politicians repeatedly break quarantine rules
Citizens criticize, "Isn't this double standards?"

It has been confirmed that Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council member of the United Future Party, violated the 'ban on gatherings of five or more people.' Photo by MBC News screen capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "It feels like only the citizens who follow quarantine rules end up being the fools."

Amid the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 in South Korea, some politicians have recently been exposed for violating quarantine rules such as the 'ban on gatherings of five or more,' drawing public criticism. Last year, some public officials also sparked controversy by breaking quarantine rules, such as removing masks and gathering with acquaintances. As a result, citizens are voicing criticism, saying that public officials, who should set an example, are instead showing a 'double standard' by ignoring quarantine rules.

Recently, criticism arose after it was revealed that Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council member of the United Future Party (now People Power Party), violated the 'ban on gatherings of five or more' rule. They explained that they only exchanged brief greetings, but CCTV footage from the bar showed them drinking until closing time.

According to MBC on the 8th, on the 2nd, Jang and Lee drank with three acquaintances at a restaurant in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Lee initially gathered with three people, and Jang joined later. Despite the restaurant owner’s warnings, the gathering continued until the closing time of 10 p.m.

In particular, Jang denied the extent of his presence despite CCTV evidence, claiming he was only at the drinking party for 2-3 minutes, and reportedly did not verify his identity via QR code or sign the guestbook upon entering the restaurant.

Jang Kyung-tae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker (left), and Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council member of the United Future Party (right). [Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the report, Jang posted on his Facebook, "After my last schedule, I heard that an acquaintance was at a nearby chicken restaurant with former Supreme Council member Lee, so I stopped by briefly to greet them," and apologized, saying, "I was aware of the ban on gatherings of five or more and apologize for not leaving immediately."

Lee also explained on the same day, "The gathering was initially between me and one acquaintance, and later two younger acquaintances introduced by that acquaintance joined, making four people gathered while following quarantine rules."

He added, "One of the group was friends with Jang, so he called to check in, and Jang joined around 9:30 p.m. Since it was close to the 10 p.m. closing time, the brief greeting extended to about 20 minutes, violating the ban on gatherings of five or more."

However, both denied reports that the restaurant owner's family warned them about the gathering of five or more.

Jang stated, "It was not a scheduled meeting as reported, and I left the place first, not after being warned," and Lee rebutted, "none of the attendees recall the restaurant owner's family coming three times to warn us, as reported."

Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (third from the right), shared this post on her Instagram last December. After controversy arose, Rep. Yoon deleted the post. Photo by Yoon's Instagram capture.

This is not the first time public officials have deviated from quarantine rules. In December last year, Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang faced backlash after posting photos on Instagram of a wine gathering with acquaintances. In the photos, none of the attendees wore masks while holding wine glasses and toasting. After the controversy, Yoon deleted the photos.

In November last year, Choi Jae-sung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, drew criticism for attending an early morning soccer club. At a time when the government had strengthened quarantine measures due to the third wave of COVID-19, Choi was reported to have attended a soccer club in Songpa-gu, Seoul. His behavior was deemed inappropriate for someone who should closely assist the president.

As politicians who should set an example continue to violate quarantine rules, citizens express feelings of frustration.

Office worker Kim (28) said, "It’s really bitter that public officials who should set an example are breaking quarantine rules instead. Because of the ban on gatherings of five or more, I hesitate to make plans with many acquaintances. But when politicians, who should lead by example, break the rules, it only makes the citizens who follow them look like fools."

Another office worker, Lee (26), said, "It’s absurd to force citizens to follow quarantine rules while politicians themselves do not comply. Isn’t this a typical case of 'double standards'? Since they represent the people, I hope they act more cautiously."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party reportedly issued a strong warning to Jang, who was found to have violated the ban on gatherings of five or more.

On the 9th, the Democratic Party stated, "Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon strongly warned Jang regarding the quarantine rule violation, and emphasized that all party members should be careful not to violate quarantine rules."

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