Multiple COVID-19 Cases Surge in Jindo County... County Governor Lee Dong-jin's Jeju Island Vacation Sparks Controversy

10 Confirmed Cases in Two Days... Rapid Return as Situation Worsens

Lee Dong-jin, Jindo County Governor / Photo by Asia Economy

[Jindo＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] In Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do, where 10 COVID-19 confirmed cases occurred over two days, putting quarantine authorities on high alert, the vacation of County Governor Lee Dong-jin to Jeju Island has become controversial.

According to Jindo-gun on the 6th, amid the serious local spread of COVID-19 cases during the summer vacation season, it was reported that Lee Dong-jin, the head of the Jindo-gun quarantine command post, visited Jeju Island for summer vacation.

The governor took a four-day vacation starting from the 3rd and stayed in Jeju Island with his family, returning late at night on the 5th.

During the governor’s vacation period, after the owner of a famous local cafe was confirmed positive, 10 confirmed cases occurred by the morning of the 6th. The occurrence of COVID-19 cases in Jindo was the first in two months since the 12th confirmed case on June 9, causing the local community to be in an uproar.

However, as the announcement of the initial infection source and the movement paths of confirmed cases were delayed, residents’ anxiety grew. In this situation, the county governor, who is responsible for county administration, was not seen and was confirmed to have gone on vacation to Jeju Island.

Governor Lee cut short his vacation and returned on the 5th after learning about the additional confirmed cases in the region, but criticism has increased as it became known that his vacation spot was Jeju Island.

A Jindo-gun official said, “At the start of the governor’s vacation, COVID-19 was calm, but as the situation worsened, he hurriedly returned. However, it was not easy to find transportation, so the return was delayed. He returned late on the night of the 5th, visited the health center to receive a report, and held an emergency countermeasure meeting on the morning of the 6th,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the 5th, Jindo-gun issued an urgent notice under the name of Vice Governor Yoon Young-joo regarding the ‘COVID-19 cluster infection,’ stating, “All events and programs such as the small movie theater, Saturday folk performances, senior centers, the Nonghyup-hosted gratitude event, welfare centers for the disabled and elderly, village senior centers, and various sports facilities will be suspended. Private gatherings of Jindo-gun public officials are prohibited, and consideration will be given to raising social distancing to level 4.”

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, held an emergency quarantine measures meeting via video conference with heads of 22 cities and counties in the province, urging them to “do their best to comply with and inspect quarantine rules.”

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