Vehicle protests are NO, out-of-venue support at primary election sites is OK?… "Rallies commonly involve chants and cheers, party events are operated non-face-to-face"

On the afternoon of the 4th, supporters are cheering for the candidates before the start of the joint speech event for selecting the Democratic Party presidential candidate, held at the Daejeon Convention Center in Doryong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The quarantine authorities have issued a statement regarding the government's recent stance of not imposing significant sanctions on supporters gathering outside during some political parties' presidential primary elections, while expressing a firm intention to strictly punish self-employed individuals conducting vehicle protests.

On the 10th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, "In political party events and primary election processes, all parties in the political sphere operate events under non-face-to-face principles without holding gatherings where large numbers of people assemble simultaneously," adding, "Events where hundreds to thousands of people gather at once to cheer are not being held."

Earlier, on the 4th, at the joint speech meeting for selecting the Democratic Party's presidential candidate held in Daejeon and Chungnam, a large number of supporters gathered in front of the venue, continuing their support and cheers for the candidates, which sparked controversy over violations of quarantine rules. While most supporters generally wore masks, they largely failed to maintain social distancing while appealing for support. Regarding this, Han Jun-ho, spokesperson for the Democratic Party Election Management Committee, explained, "Despite our efforts to block gatherings, supporters still assembled," and added, "We are trying to disperse them as much as possible."

The quarantine authorities explained that such actions fall under essential activities for public duties or business operations, which are exceptions to social distancing rules, and therefore cannot be legally punished.

On the afternoon of the 8th, self-employed business owners in the Busan area held a vehicle protest at Busanjin-gu Citizen Park. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, regarding the vehicle protests conducted on the afternoon of the 8th by self-employed individuals nationwide, who have been suffering from prolonged high-intensity social distancing measures, the authorities explained that these were violations of quarantine rules. Son said, "In the case of assemblies and similar activities, the risk itself is considered high because large numbers of people gather closely, shouting slogans or cheers, so restrictions on the number of participants are imposed," he explained. Although the protests were conducted with participants inside their own vehicles, minimizing the risk of droplet transmission, the interpretation is that all forms of protests must be restricted due to the generally high risk of droplet transmission in protests overall.

However, Son added, "We will seek ways to reorganize the quarantine system or adjust social distancing measures to more reasonably protect citizens' freedom of expression while strengthening quarantine management in these areas."

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