Health Authorities: New Social Distancing Measures Are Not 'Ki Moran's Proposal'... A Product of 'Collective Intelligence'

Son Young-rae, Head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The quarantine authorities have stated that the new social distancing measures were essentially created through 'collective intelligence,' refuting the 'Ki Moran Blue House Quarantine Planning Officer Planning Theory' raised by some quarters.

On the 13th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a non-face-to-face back briefing, "There are reports that the Blue House Quarantine Planning Officer made the social distancing reform plan in the direction of easing regulations," and in response to the question, "What is the exact fact?" he said, "The new social distancing reform plan was created under collective intelligence over a considerable period with the participation of related associations, organizations, local governments, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, and the Central Disease Control Headquarters."

Son said, "There can be various criticisms about the results, but the process of realization needs to be discussed based on verified facts," and "During several public forums and hearings, Ki Moran, then a professor at the National Cancer Center, actually proposed a rather radical plan to have three stages of social distancing and to restrict private gatherings from less than 10 people to less than 5, then less than 3 from stage 1," he rebutted. Regarding this, he added, "It was considered rough and the private gathering restrictions were seen as severe," and "Later, when designing the plan, a somewhat different approach was taken."

Furthermore, Son emphasized, "The plan was not applied immediately but involved nearly three months of adjustments by listening to opinions from related associations, organizations, and the field," and "It is inappropriate to say that someone designed the reform plan alone when considering the process."

Gimoran, Blue House Director of Quarantine Planning (right) [Image source=Yonhap News]

He also actively refuted suspicions that the said planning officer suppressed the opinion of Jeong Eun-kyeong, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, who insisted on strengthening social distancing during the reform process, and forcibly introduced the new social distancing reform plan. Son explained, "As the quarantine situation improved in early to mid-June, the general social consensus, including the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and the Central Disease Control Headquarters, was that it was appropriate to switch to the new social distancing reform plan from July," adding, "Local governments and the media also expressed opinions that 'we have no choice but to proceed with the new social distancing reform plan, but it must be done well.'"

Son stressed, "I keep emphasizing that the process of creating comprehensive content and making decisions goes through multiple meetings and is deeply concluded at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters," and added, "I would like to reiterate that it is not a structure decided by the unilateral opinion of someone like Ki Moran, the Quarantine Planning Officer."

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