[Reporter’s Notebook] In the Era of 200,000 Confirmed Cases, Where Is 'Kimoran'?

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] It feels like just yesterday that the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases surpassed 100,000, but on the 4th, the number of confirmed cases surged by about 70,000 in a single day, exceeding 260,000. The number of home treatment patients surpassed 920,000. If this trend continues, it is only a matter of time before daily cases exceed 300,000, and estimates suggest that home treatment patients will surpass 1 million. Even Kim Boo-kyum, the "quarantine command tower" and Prime Minister, tested positive.

Given the situation, the silence of Ki Mo-ran, the Blue House's quarantine planning officer responsible for practical quarantine measures, is even more regrettable. Appointed in April last year, Officer Ki has barely appeared publicly over the past 11 months. She has never held a press briefing, and the last time her name appeared in an official Blue House event was on November 29 last year at the "Special Quarantine Inspection Meeting for COVID-19 Response" presided over by President Moon.

Since her appointment, the quarantine situation has continuously worsened. In July last year, the "4th wave" occurred, and in December, the government halted phased daily recovery and reverted to social distancing. Each time, the "responsibility of Ki Mo-ran" was raised, but the Blue House dismissed it, stating that Officer Ki was "not a control tower but a bridge." This was when daily confirmed cases had not even reached 10,000.

However, now the number of confirmed cases exceeds that by 20 times. Even considering that symptoms of the Omicron variant are milder than previous variants, this is an enormous figure. Moreover, the government is rather easing quarantine measures. Especially since these easing measures were implemented ahead of the presidential election, criticism of "political quarantine" follows. Doubts about whether there is truly a quarantine control tower in the Blue House are hard to dispel.

Infectious disease expert Professor Lee Jae-gap of Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital recently resigned from the COVID-19 Daily Recovery Committee advisory position. Even experts are throwing up their hands at the government's measures. Isn't it time for Ki, the Blue House's practical quarantine officer, to explain the reasons? Where exactly is he and what is he doing?

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