Yoon Faces 'Quarantine Rule Violation' Controversy During Visits to 103 Lawmakers' Offices... Yoon's Side Says "General Quarantine Measures Were Taken"

On the 2nd, 103 lawmakers from the same party visited offices in the National Assembly
Yoon Camp: "It is true that entry was not requested for all offices... but general quarantine measures were definitely implemented"

Presidential pre-candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, who recently joined the People Power Party, visited the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 2nd. After greeting the staff of the People Power Party Secretariat, he is seen leaving the main building. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, was criticized for violating the National Assembly's COVID-19 quarantine rules during his visit to the National Assembly on the 2nd, where he visited the offices of 103 party lawmakers to greet them.

On the 3rd, an anonymous post on the Facebook account "Bamboo Forest Next to Yeouido," a bulletin board for National Assembly aides, questioned, "Are presidential candidates allowed to violate quarantine rules?" The post stated, "Yoon Seok-yeol and about 10 members of his entourage moved around together and visited the offices of 103 lawmakers. Although movement between floors should have been impossible, they moved around without any restrictions."

Earlier, on the 2nd, the fourth day after joining the party, Yoon held a registration ceremony by touring the party secretariat and the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Although many lawmakers were absent due to the vacation season, Yoon visited all 103 People Power Party lawmakers' offices, taking photos with aides one by one in a rigorous schedule.

However, to invite outsiders to a National Assembly lawmaker's office, visitors must pre-register their personal information with the National Assembly Security Office according to the Assembly's quarantine rules and receive an access pass. Entry is only allowed to the offices that have applied in advance, and movement between floors is prohibited.

Photo by 'Yeouido Next to Bamboo Forest' Facebook capture

The author pointed out, "If Yoon and his entourage intended to visit the offices of all 103 lawmakers, at least one day prior, all 103 lawmakers' offices should have reported to the National Assembly Security Office, saying 'Please issue an access pass for Yoon at such and such time'."

He added, "It is unknown which lawmaker's access pass they received, but with that pass, they should not have visited other offices, and especially movement between floors should have been impossible, yet they moved around without any restrictions."

He further stated, "If even one of the 10 people accompanying him was a confirmed COVID-19 case or a close contact, all 103 offices in the National Assembly Members' Office Building should have been shut down," adding, "From what they did, they still seem like amateurs worse than first-term lawmakers."

Meanwhile, Choi Jae-hyung, former Board of Audit and Inspection chairman who joined the party before Yoon, started visiting People Power Party lawmakers' offices on the 9th floor of the Members' Office Building from the office of lawmaker Tae Young-ho on the 22nd of last month. However, he obtained visit permissions from each office a day in advance and submitted personal information as well.

A spokesperson for Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign told Hankyoreh in a phone interview, "It is true that we did not apply for access to all 103 lawmakers' offices," but added, "However, we ensured general quarantine measures such as temperature checks were properly conducted."

On the 4th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, commented on the controversy over Yoon's quarantine rule violation, saying, "It is important for candidates to be careful not to be misunderstood in such matters," and added, "Whether Yoon violated quarantine rules is a matter for the quarantine authorities to judge."

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