Army Chief Nam Young-shin: "Full Review of Excessive COVID-19 Quarantine Measures"

Army Chief of Staff Nam Young-shin Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Army has issued its first apology regarding the controversy over excessive COVID-19 quarantine measures and decided to review its quarantine management system.

On the 28th, Army Chief of Staff Nam Young-shin held an emergency meeting with key commanders and said, "I deeply regret the series of incidents where excessive quarantine measures against soldiers in some units infringed upon the basic rights of the troops," adding, "I sincerely console the soldiers who dedicate themselves to the Republic of Korea Army across the front and rear lines and apologize to the public who have entrusted their children to the military." This is the first time General Nam has officially expressed his position on this matter.

General Nam emphasized to commanders at all levels, "With a reflective mindset, diagnose and review the current quarantine management system from a zero-base level, communicate with subordinates, and derive improvement needs that meet the public’s expectations."

Recently, within the military, there has been widespread public outrage as multiple branches have revealed that the meals and living conditions for soldiers who are mandatorily quarantined after leave as a preventive measure are unreasonably poor.

In particular, the Military Human Rights Center (Center) stated on the 26th, "The Army Training Center has implemented excessive quarantine guidelines by prohibiting trainees from brushing their teeth and washing their faces for three days and restricting bathroom use to controlled times as part of preventive quarantine measures against COVID-19, thereby infringing on individuals’ rights to maintain hygiene."

The Center further pointed out, "We have also received reports that some trainees have urinated in their pants due to time restrictions on bathroom use," criticizing, "Under the pretext of infection prevention, controlling even bowel movements is an unreasonable act," which has intensified the controversy.