'4th Wave Responsibility Debate'·'Deputy Mayor Controversy'... Awkward 100 Days Since O Se-hoon's Inauguration

Rapid Surge in COVID-19 Cases Leads to Practical Halt of 'Seoul-style Coexistence Quarantine'
Controversies Over Self-Test Kit Pilot Project and Kim Do-sik, Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, Draw Criticism

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon found himself in a difficult situation on the 16th, just 100 days before his inauguration anniversary. Amid a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases and suspicions surrounding the pilot project of the ‘self-test kit,’ questions have been raised about the credibility of the policies that Mayor Oh has been focusing on, while controversies have also grown over the ‘Seoul City quarantine responsibility theory,’ with the Seoul Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs coming under criticism.

Right after his inauguration on April 9, Mayor Oh criticized the government’s COVID-19 quarantine measures as excessively uniform and introduced the so-called ‘Seoul-style Coexistence Quarantine.’ Backed by various associations such as the Korea Entertainment Food Industry Central Association, Mayor Oh repeatedly and officially expressed the position that operating hours should be differentiated according to the characteristics of each industry and that ‘self-test kits’ should be introduced to flexibly adjust quarantine measures for religious facilities, schools, and others.

As Mayor Oh’s quarantine easing policy gained momentum in public opinion, the government also stepped back from its initially cautious stance in June and announced a new social distancing reform plan extending operating hours for restaurants, cafes, and singing practice rooms to midnight. Earlier, Seoul City launched a one-month pilot project targeting fitness centers and indoor golf practice ranges in Mapo and Gangdong districts, separate from the government’s new social distancing measures. Additionally, a pilot project introducing the ‘self-test kit,’ actively promoted by Mayor Oh, was conducted focusing on call centers, logistics centers, and dormitory schools. Restrictions on the number of participants and locations for gatherings were also eased following repeated complaints.

However, these quarantine easing measures by Mayor Oh have effectively come to a halt due to the recent explosive increase in new COVID-19 cases in Seoul. On the 6th alone, Seoul recorded 538 new confirmed cases?the highest since the outbreak began?and on the 14th, 638 new cases were confirmed, breaking the record again. As the situation escalated to the fourth wave, the determination behind the ‘Seoul-style Coexistence Quarantine,’ which Mayor Oh even formed a task force (TF) team to promote, was rendered meaningless.

As the COVID-19 situation worsened, the ‘Seoul City responsibility theory’ also began to spread. The quarantine authorities, ahead of the implementation of the eased new social distancing measures, imposed a level 4 social distancing policy centered on the metropolitan area where cases surged, allowing only private gatherings of up to two people after 6 p.m. and permitting up to 49 relatives to attend weddings and funerals. This led to voices of dissatisfaction directed at Mayor Oh. Although Mayor Oh vowed to enforce restrictions such as limiting operating hours, reducing public transportation by 20%, and cracking down on outdoor drinking in places like Hangang Park, controlling the situation appears difficult. In particular, the ruling party criticized, saying, “Premature quarantine easing by local governments ignoring the government’s quarantine policies is a sure path to failure.”

Adding insult to injury, suspicions surrounding the Seoul-style Coexistence Quarantine began to burden Mayor Oh. To rapidly introduce the ‘self-test kit’ promoted by Mayor Oh, Seoul City purchased and distributed 200,000 kits using 1.34 billion won from the disaster management fund, but suspicions arose that there was no prior explanation or review by the fund management committee during this process. It was revealed during the Seoul City Council’s administrative inquiry that the contract with the supplier was signed only after the pilot project began. In response, Oh In-hwan, chairman of the Progressive Party Seoul City Committee, submitted a citizen audit request to the Seoul City Citizen Audit Ombudsman Committee on the 13th, signed by about 50 citizens, initiating a formal challenge.

On the 14th, the conduct of Kim Do-sik, Seoul Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, known as the right-hand man of Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, came under scrutiny. Kim Do-sik, who distributed a rebuttal statement against the Seoul City quarantine failure responsibility theory targeting President Moon Jae-in and the ruling party, reversed his stance just an hour and a half after the initial distribution, claiming it was “only a personal opinion,” causing controversy. Kim criticized the president and ruling party’s ‘Seoul City responsibility theory,’ asking, “Who proposed easing social distancing and consumption despite signs of the Delta variant spreading?” He also attacked Cheong Wa Dae’s quarantine planning officer Ki Mo-ran, saying, “Is K-quarantine the KI Mo-ran quarantine?” and added, “Shifting the responsibility for quarantine failure to the Seoul Mayor is not protecting the president but rather a confession that the president can no longer be trusted.”

Following this statement, Kim’s additional comment, “This is a personal opinion. Please consider that it is not the official position of Seoul City. Some remarks may have burdened the mayor’s position,” sparked criticism inside and outside Seoul City for his imprudent conduct. It was pointed out that it is inappropriate to turn the serious COVID-19 situation into a political dispute again and that Seoul City itself needs to reflect.

A Seoul City official explained, “It was not an official position reached through formal procedures,” and “We only became aware of the content after the initial statement was distributed. It was just a personal opinion.”

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