COVID-19 Report Leak in Jeonbuk "Poster to Be Investigated"

Documents containing personal information of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were leaked online, raising concerns about their spread. On the afternoon of the 20th, a document titled "COVID-19 Confirmed Patient Occurrence Report" was posted on a mom cafe in Jeonbuk. The record contained sensitive personal information such as the confirmed patient's movement routes, symptoms, name, date of birth, address, and workplace. It was exposed for about 10 minutes before being deleted.

It has not been confirmed whether the document was officially created by health authorities or local governments. The cafe administrator emphasized in a notice, "Internal documents containing personal information are not information," and added, "This is grounds for disciplinary action against public officials." They also warned, "Do not let the mom cafe be definitively labeled as a hotbed of fake news."

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency stated that if illegal activity is confirmed, the poster will be punished. An official said, "Leaking patients' personal information constitutes a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act and is subject to punishment. We plan to investigate the related matter."

On the same day, additional COVID-19 cases occurred in Jeonbuk. A 28-year-old individual, A, residing in Gimje, is known to have traveled around Daegu's Dongseong-ro and Bukseong-ro areas from the 7th to the 9th. A, along with four family members exhibiting similar symptoms, was transferred to Jeonbuk National University Hospital, a nationally designated isolation hospital, where they are receiving isolated inpatient treatment. Jeonbuk Province plans to dispatch an on-site epidemiological investigation team to focus on tracing A's movements.