Cheonghae Unit's Return Journey Is More Dangerous

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Two Air Force transport planes carrying 301 troops of the 34th Cheonghae Unit, who were collectively infected with COVID-19 during overseas deployment, will arrive sequentially at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 20th. Currently, 247 out of the 301 personnel have tested positive, resulting in an infection rate of 82.1%. However, concerns remain about the COVID-19 incubation period and additional infections during transport, making it highly likely that the number of confirmed cases will increase. The military authorities plan to conduct PCR tests again as soon as they return to the country and, based on the results, arrange for their transfer to domestic quarantine facilities.

As of the morning of the 20th, among the two transport planes heading to Korea from the African waters, the first plane carries about 190 people, including 16 hospitalized patients, 160 confirmed cases, and medical staff. Although the maximum capacity is 300, the number was reduced due to medical equipment on board.

As a result, it became impossible for all 247 confirmed cases to board the same transport plane. Therefore, the remaining 87 confirmed cases boarded the second plane. In addition to them, 50 individuals who tested negative and 4 whose test results were inconclusive are also being transported on the second plane. The Ministry of National Defense explained, "Partitions were installed inside the transport plane to maintain distance from confirmed cases." However, these partitions are merely dividers and cannot completely block the airflow inside the cabin. Like naval vessels, transport planes are vulnerable to infectious diseases due to the ‘3密’ (close contact, crowded spaces, and enclosed environments). Additional confirmed cases among the non-infected and inconclusive individuals on the second plane cannot be ruled out.

Additional confirmed cases due to the incubation period are also fully anticipated. Considering the maximum COVID-19 incubation period of 14 days, PCR tests for the Cheonghae Unit crew were conducted on the 15th, and results were received on the 17th, so it is not yet a stage to be reassured.

The military plans to retest all troops with PCR tests upon arrival at Seoul Airport and manage them separately based on the results. Afterwards, the troops will be dispersed and admitted to civilian and Defense Language Institute life treatment centers. They will be quarantined and treated in dispersed locations such as 200 at the Social Service Training Institute, 88 at the Defense Language Institute, 10 at Daejeon Hospital, and 3 at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. Among the 16 who were receiving treatment at local hospitals, 15 have mostly improved with mild symptoms, but one severe patient with pneumonia symptoms is hospitalized at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, and the rest are receiving dispersed inpatient treatment at Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital (10), Armed Forces Capital Hospital (1), and the Defense Language Institute (4).

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum accepted criticism that the collective infection incident in the Cheonghae Unit was a man-made disaster due to negligence by the military authorities and the government, and issued the first official apology from a government official. On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Kim chaired a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at the Government Complex Sejong and said, "The Ministry of National Defense should do its best to treat and recover the troops returning from their mission and thoroughly implement follow-up measures to prevent any mission gaps caused by sudden personnel changes."

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