'Cheonghae Unit Cluster Infection' Sparks Opposition Calls for President and Ministry of National Defense to Take Responsibility

Seong Il-jong, Member of the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] In response to the COVID-19 cluster infection that occurred in the Cheonghae Unit, the opposition parties criticized the lax quarantine system on the ship and held the President and the Ministry of National Defense accountable. The opposition pointed out that basic quarantine measures such as 14-day quarantine for external contacts and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing were not implemented, and condemned that the President and military leadership must take responsibility.

Seong Il-jong, a member of the National Defense Committee from the People Power Party, said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 20th, "The government could have coordinated with the U.S. Forces Korea to advance the vaccination schedule to match theirs, but they did not even discuss this, which shows the government's incompetence." He added, "Isn't the Commander-in-Chief the President?" and said, "The President, as the highest authority of state affairs, must apologize to the people."

When asked about the "initial infection route," Seong said, "I spoke with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last night," and explained, "About ten people wearing protective suits only brought supplies during the 3 nights and 4 days of loading." He also said, "When I asked if there was an investigation into those who violated military discipline and went out personally, I was told that the unit was too sick and confused to conduct it," and insisted, "A thorough investigation is needed to confirm whether military discipline was strictly observed."

Seong criticized that no quarantine measures were prepared on the ship. He said, "In the global pandemic situation, the military should have thoroughly prepared countermeasures against infection," and added, "There probably are no negative pressure isolation rooms on board."

On the same day, Han Ki-ho, the People Power Party member and secretary of the National Defense Committee, appeared on YTN Radio's 'Hwang Bo-seon's Morning Start' and pointed out that the Cheonghae Unit soldiers were not vaccinated in advance. He said, "If they had just docked for a week during the operation to get vaccinated, it would have been fine," and sharply criticized, "The Ministry of National Defense and the Chief of Naval Operations must also take responsibility for making lame excuses." Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense explained that the Cheonghae Unit members could not be vaccinated initially because their departure time was earlier than the military medical staff's vaccination schedule.

He also criticized, "It has been proven that if even one person on a ship is confirmed positive, a cluster infection occurs, but they responded complacently," and said, "Especially, the failure to conduct PCR testing on the initial case is problematic."

He said, "They conducted antibody tests that take two weeks to yield results," and added, "They completely missed the window to block transmission." He continued, "If someone who contacted locals after docking boarded the ship, they should have been quarantined for more than 14 days, but they did not, so the virus spread rapidly," and said, "We cannot help but suspect that there was not even a basic manual."

He insisted, "Not only the follow-up measures but also the Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Naval Headquarters must review the quarantine system from scratch."

On the same day, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, also called for accountability of the President as Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of National Defense through Facebook. He said, "Due to the government's incompetence and complacency, young lives are threatened and military combat power has been seriously damaged," and criticized, "Normally, the Commander-in-Chief should apologize and the Minister of National Defense should take responsibility. But this administration remains silent. Where have they all gone?"

He also criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s shortcomings. Ahn pointed out that "the Moon Jae-in administration lacks three things": responsibility, shame, and governance capability.

He emphasized again the need for regime change in next year’s presidential election, saying, "The next administration must never be such a pathetic government," and "It is the opposition’s responsibility to prove that."

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