[Full Text] Heo Ji-woong "People Following Quarantine Rules Are Suckers?…Sanctions for Violations Are Insufficient"

"Number of Confirmed Cases at KCTU Rally Not Important"
"Problem Is Spreading the Mindset That Caring for Neighbors Is a Loss"

Broadcaster Heo Ji-woong / Photo by Instagram Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Broadcaster Heo Ji-woong urged a tough response to certain groups that do not comply with quarantine guidelines. He pointed out, "The pain transferred to those who follow and adhere to the guidelines, including self-employed people, remains unchanged, but the sanctions against violators are insufficient."

On the 11th, Heo Ji-woong wrote on his Instagram, "The patterns of those who follow and those who do not are clearly divided and coexist, and the resulting damage is borne by the entire community," he said.

He added, "The distribution of pain and risk is one of the most important reasons why we form communities and live together," emphasizing, "For this to work properly, the principle of rights and responsibilities must operate together."

Regarding the reason for the successful quarantine control in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, "It was because those who followed the rules could take pride," and pointed out, "(On the other hand, currently) the reason quarantine is stagnant is that those who follow the rules feel deprivation and victimization instead of pride."

On the 3rd of last month, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a nationwide workers' rally in downtown Jongno-gu, Seoul, with about 8,000 union members gathering. / Photo by Yonhap News

He then criticized, "It is actually not important how many confirmed cases came from churches that violated guidelines, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) city rallies, or vacation spots," adding, "The problem is that the absurd idea that caring for neighbors ultimately results in my loss has been spread."

Heo Ji-woong emphasized again, "No quarantine can succeed on a foundation where those who follow the rules become suckers and those who do not feel no shame," and said, "Those who follow the rules should enjoy the joy of having done their part for family and neighbors, and those who do not should take full responsibility for betraying trust between neighbors and not repeat it, so that our quarantine can start anew."

Earlier, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) forcibly held a nationwide workers' rally with about 8,000 participants (according to the organizers) in the Jongno-gu area of Seoul in early last month.

Among the rally participants, three were confirmed positive for COVID-19. However, according to health authorities, they were confirmed through infections within the region, not from the rally.

On the 6th, the police applied for a pre-arrest warrant against Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the KCTU who led the rally, on charges including violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

On the morning of the 10th, in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul, officials from the National Revolutionary Party and the National Special Investigation Team held a press conference for the "August 15 Ten Million Citizens One-Person Walking Rally." / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the People’s Revolutionary Party, led by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church, announced plans to hold a large-scale rally in downtown Seoul from the 14th to the 16th, around Liberation Day.

On the 10th, the People’s Revolutionary Party held a press conference in front of Donghwa Duty-Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "We will hold a one-person walking rally with 10 million citizens from the 14th to the 16th to resist the fraudulent quarantine martial law of the Moon Jae-in administration."

Pastor Jeon participated in a large-scale rally in Seoul last Liberation Day, violating quarantine guidelines. Recently, he also defied Seoul city’s quarantine rules by holding a large in-person worship service and repeatedly expressed his intention to hold rallies, saying, "If the church facility closure order is enforced, I will go to Gwanghwamun to hold worship."

Meanwhile, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 11th, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases was 2,223, marking the highest number in about one and a half years since the first domestic case was reported on January 20 last year.

Below is the full text of Heo Ji-woong’s post

The number of new COVID-19 cases has surpassed 2,000.

Experts analyze that this is because community infections in non-metropolitan areas have begun in earnest due to variant viruses and people traveling during the vacation season.

Questions continue about whether the current level 4 restrictions are effective in reducing the number of confirmed cases. The pain transferred to those who follow and adhere to the guidelines, including self-employed people, remains unchanged, but the sanctions against violators are insufficient. The patterns of those who follow and those who do not are clearly divided and coexist, and the resulting damage is borne by the entire community.

The distribution of pain and risk is one of the most important reasons why we form communities and live together. However, for this to work properly, the principle of rights and responsibilities must operate together. The reason the early quarantine was successful was because those who followed the rules could take pride.

The reason quarantine is stagnant is that those who follow the rules feel deprivation and victimization instead of pride. It is actually not important how many confirmed cases came from churches that violated guidelines, KCTU city rallies, or vacation spots. The problem is that the absurd idea that caring for neighbors ultimately results in my loss has been spread.

No quarantine can succeed on a foundation where those who follow the rules become suckers and those who do not feel no shame. Those who follow the rules should enjoy the joy of having done their part for family and neighbors, and those who do not should take full responsibility for betraying trust between neighbors and not repeat it. From there, I thought our quarantine could start anew.

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