Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom Violates Quarantine Rules with '11 People Dining'... Cancels Attendance at Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] It was belatedly revealed that Kim Boo-kyum, Prime Minister and head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) responsible for COVID-19 quarantine, violated the private gathering size restriction rules for COVID-19 prevention. Prime Minister Kim was scheduled to preside over the CDSCH meeting on the 12th but canceled his attendance the previous afternoon.

According to the Prime Minister's Secretariat on that day, Kim had lunch with university classmates at the Prime Minister's official residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 6th, with 11 attendees including Kim himself. Since Step 1 of the phased daily recovery was in effect, private gatherings in the metropolitan area were limited to 10 people.

The Prime Minister's Office explained, "Originally, invitations were made for 10 people, but one attendee brought a spouse, increasing the number." A Secretariat official stated that instead of directly apologizing, Kim expressed regret for "his thoughtless behavior."

This fact was revealed through a commemorative photo taken by attendees at the lunch. Initially, Kim reportedly explained to the media that "10 people had the meal," but when it was pointed out that the photo, excluding the photographer, already included 10 people, he belatedly admitted to violating quarantine rules, causing unnecessary additional controversy.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim was originally scheduled to preside over the CDSCH meeting at the Government Seoul Office building that morning, but the National Office for Government Policy Coordination (NOGPC) announced around 7 p.m. the previous day that Kim's attendance was canceled. A NOGPC official explained, "The cancellation was not due to this controversy," adding, "After the phased daily recovery, the policy changed to 'presiding over the CDSCH once a week,' and since he already presided over the meeting last Wednesday, it was canceled."

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