Emergency at the Ministry of National Defense due to Ahn Gyu-baek's COVID-19 Confirmation... Minister Seo Wook Tests Negative for Now

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The Ministry of National Defense was once on high alert due to the COVID-19 positive diagnosis of Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ahn Gyu-baek. Although Defense Minister Seo Wook and other military officials were all confirmed negative, they remain tense over any possible developments.

The Ministry of National Defense was tense for a time as, amid ongoing issues such as the investigation into the sexual harassment case involving an Air Force non-commissioned officer, members of the National Defense Committee including Minister Seo underwent PCR tests following Ahn’s positive diagnosis.

According to a Ministry of National Defense official on the 11th, all 15 officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the Army, Navy, and Air Force who attended the National Defense Committee meeting on the 9th, including Minister Seo, tested negative in PCR tests conducted the previous night. Minister Seo is not subject to self-quarantine under quarantine guidelines as he has completed two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine required for overseas travel.

The Ministry of National Defense believes the impact is currently minimal as active-duty personnel and civilian employees aged 30 and above in the military have at least received their first vaccine dose. However, since some staff members visited the National Assembly, they plan to monitor the situation closely.

Additionally, it is known that some non-active-duty government officials have not been vaccinated, and according to quarantine guidelines, even if they test negative, they are expected to self-quarantine as a precautionary measure.

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