Coast Guard Officer Concealed Visit to Entertainment Bar After Testing Positive... 'Suspended Sentence'

Court: "Defendant has diligently performed duties for over 20 years... Considering suspension from position after incident"

A senior officer of the Coast Guard, accused of concealing the fact that he visited entertainment establishments during an epidemiological investigation despite testing positive for COVID-19, was sentenced to a suspended prison term.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] A senior officer of the Korea Coast Guard who was accused of hiding the fact that he visited an entertainment establishment during an epidemiological investigation despite testing positive for COVID-19 has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

The Incheon District Court Criminal Division 7 (Judge Hwang Seong-min) sentenced A, a 50-year-old Coast Guard officer indicted for violating the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act, to 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspension. Additionally, B (58), a quarrying company official who was indicted on the same charges after visiting a room salon with A, was fined 5 million KRW.

The court stated, "It is unclear whether the defendant was the initial infected person in the cluster infection at the entertainment bar, but despite testing positive, he concealed his whereabouts, delaying the health authorities' epidemiological investigation for 52 hours," and added, "As a result, infections spread, including among entertainment bar workers."

However, the court also noted, "The defendant has served as a Coast Guard officer for over 20 years and received 15 commendations, faithfully performing his duties," and "considered that the defendant was suspended from his position after the incident" as reasons for sentencing.

Earlier, at the sentencing hearing held on the 7th of last month, the prosecution requested a 1-year prison sentence for A and a 5 million KRW fine for B.

A and B were indicted without detention on charges of hiding the fact that they visited a room salon in Incheon together a week prior during the initial epidemiological investigation after testing positive for COVID-19 on November 20-21 of last year.

At the time, A told the epidemiological investigator that he "went to a restaurant" and "visited a supermarket," concealing the fact that he had visited the room salon.

The fact that A visited the room salon was later revealed when B confessed his movements to the quarantine authorities and confirmed his companions.

After they were confirmed positive consecutively, a cluster infection occurred centered around this room salon, with a total of 41 people confirmed infected, including them. According to the Coast Guard's investigation, A stayed at the room salon for 3 hours not only with B but also with two acquaintances of B on that day.

The Coast Guard also investigated whether their meeting was related to their duties and who paid the alcohol bill, but no violations of the Anti-Graft Act were found.

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