Yoon's Visit to Emart Isu Branch for 'Quarantine Pass Check' Was Not Subject to Quarantine Pass Requirement

Emart Isu Branch, Area Under 3000㎡
Excluded from Quarantine Pass Requirement

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, visited a supermarket in downtown Seoul on the 8th and placed Yeosu anchovies in his cart. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] It has been confirmed that the Emart Isu branch, which Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, visited on the 8th to check on the quarantine pass (vaccination certificate/negative test confirmation system) and food prices, is not subject to the quarantine pass.

Emart posted an official notice regarding the quarantine pass applied to department stores and large marts on its official website starting from the previous day (the 10th), stating that the Suseo, Isu, Sinwol, and Namwon branches in Seoul are excluded.

The government's quarantine pass applies to department stores and large marts with an area exceeding 3,000㎡, but these stores were excluded because their area does not exceed 3,000㎡. The Isu branch visited by candidate Yoon is known to have an area of about 2,400㎡.

Earlier, candidate Yoon visited the Isu branch on the 8th and did his own shopping. The People Power Party explained that the purpose of the visit was to check food prices and the quarantine pass. On that day, Yoon posted a photo of himself shopping on Instagram and added hashtags such as '#eggs #greenonion #anchovies #beans'.

However, contrary to the People Power Party's explanation, it was revealed that the Isu branch is not subject to the quarantine pass, leading to criticism that the schedule planning was inadequate.

In particular, regarding Yoon's selection of 'anchovies' and 'beans' at the mart that day, an interpretation has arisen that he was indirectly supporting Chung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, who was embroiled in the 'anti-communism remarks' controversy. Amid this, the fact that the Isu branch is not subject to the quarantine pass is expected to further amplify related suspicions.

Meanwhile, when reporters asked candidate Yoon whether his visit to Emart that day was related to Vice Chairman Chung, he replied that "I had no morning schedule for the first time in a while this morning. The snacks for my dogs ran out, and I also wanted to buy some ramen and such to eat, so I went to a nearby place," indicating that there was no connection.

Emart 'Quarantine Pass' Notice. The Isu branch, visited by Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, on the 8th, is informed as exempt from the quarantine pass requirement. Photo by Emart Official Website Capture

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