Prime Minister Kim: "Relatively Stable Death Toll... We Are Responding Most Properly"

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 response at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stated on the 27th regarding the response to COVID-19, "Compared to other countries that have experienced crises, our current situation is clearly at a manageable level."

In a post on Facebook that day, Prime Minister Kim emphasized, "Currently, our country is maintaining relatively stable key quarantine indicators such as the number of critically ill patients, death toll, and hospital bed occupancy rates."

He also said, "Compared to the period at the end of last year when the Delta variant peaked, the average daily number of confirmed cases has increased 17-fold, but the number of critically ill patients is significantly lower, and the intensive care unit bed occupancy rate is maintained around 40%."

He added, "The death toll also shows a significant difference compared to other countries," emphasizing, "As of the 21st, the cumulative death toll per one million people in our country is 143, which is one-twentieth or one-tenth of the levels in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom with over 2,000 deaths, or Germany and Israel with death tolls in the thousands." He continued, "I can boldly say that we have responded most appropriately to all COVID-19 situations so far."

Prime Minister Kim said, "Compared to the global situation, we have clearly made the 'choice to save the lives of family and neighbors' and are enduring well," adding, "Therefore, the government urges not to be excessively anxious and to endure well as we have done so far."

He also stated, "Some media outlets are overflowing with sensational articles that incite anxiety and confusion, such as 'every man for himself' or claims that the government has abandoned its people," and added, "I hope media criticism will be directed in a way that helps our community overcome the crisis."

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