A person in their 20s died due to a mass infection originating from Nonghyup Mart... "Nonghyup is not taking any responsibility"

Namchangwon Nonghyup Apology Statement [Image source=Namchangwon Nonghyup website]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] The family of a man in his 20s, Mr. A, who died following a mass infection originating from the Namchangwon Nonghyup Mart in Gyeongnam, strongly criticized Nonghyup for not taking any responsibility.

Mr. A was confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and was hospitalized for treatment at Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital, where he passed away at 3:25 a.m. on August 20.

According to Yonhap News on the 10th, the family explained that Mr. A’s mother visited the Namchangwon Nonghyup Mart on July 28 and August 2, and after she and Mr. A’s father were diagnosed with COVID-19 on August 10, Mr. A underwent testing and was confirmed positive on the 12th.

Although Mr. A had underlying health conditions, health authorities had previously presumed COVID-19 as the cause of death. It was also reported that Mr. A’s death certificate issued by the hospital included the phrase “Coronavirus disease 2019 with confirmed virus.”

Mr. A’s parents, who could only say their final goodbyes via video call on their mobile phones before his death, had no choice but to hastily cremate their son in accordance with the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act despite their overwhelming grief.

Having barely completed a “chaotic funeral where everything was out of control,” Mr. A’s parents posted for the first time on the Namchangwon Nonghyup website community on August 30, criticizing Nonghyup’s response by saying, “You did not even offer a single apology or any words of consolation.”

They added, “If we do not write this post, does that mean we cannot even receive an apology? Do you think it is acceptable to just let this go if our family remains silent?”

When there was no response from Nonghyup for several days, Mr. A’s parents posted again on the community on the 7th.

The bereaved family said, “We posted on August 30, holding onto this painful heart experienced in a thoroughly controlled and neglected situation, hoping to receive at least one apology, but even after a week, not even a formal comment was posted. Despite witnessing the pain of parents burying their child due to your negligent response after a COVID-19 case occurred among Nonghyup employees, is this really how it should be?”

They also questioned, “Is it enough to just pay a fine to Changwon City with no moral responsibility toward individuals? We saw an article where the union president apologized, but is that all lies and hypocrisy? We have not received a single call, and it feels as if you lack even the minimum conscience that a human should have.”

The media attempted to contact a representative of the mart, but the person replied via text message, “I don’t think I have anything to say.”

On August 11th, Baek Seung-jo, the head of Namchangwon Nonghyup, is making a deep bow to the public in apology at the Nonghyup Changwon City Branch.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, the cumulative number of confirmed cases from the Namchangwon Nonghyup Mart mass infection was counted as 70. Despite the number of confirmed cases inside the mart rising from 1 on August 2 to 6 on August 3 and 6 on August 4 (with one family member separately confirmed), Namchangwon Nonghyup concealed this for three days and continued operations, drawing strong criticism from the local community.

As a result, the number of people requiring diagnostic tests surged significantly, causing about 20,000 citizens to flock to temporary screening clinics, enduring long waits in the heat and experiencing considerable inconvenience.

On the 11th of last month, Kwon Deok-cheol, the 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and Minister of Health and Welfare, strongly criticized the Namchangwon Nonghyup Mart mass infection case, calling it “an act that threatens the safety of our community and is absolutely unacceptable.”

On the same day, Baek Seung-jo, the union president of Namchangwon Nonghyup, belatedly issued an apology to the citizens, but when asked about responsibility, he emphasized, “I have never considered resigning,” raising doubts about the sincerity of his apology.

At that time, President Baek also stated, “By this weekend, we will consult with health authorities to discuss any possible ways to offer some consolation to the citizens,” but no special follow-up measures have yet been taken.

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