Across the street in the same neighborhood, Andong is restricted but Yecheon is not... Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, says "Give us autonomy on social distancing"

Request to Government for Expanded Autonomy on 'Non-Capital Region Social Distancing'

Small Business Owners Upset Over Different Operating Hour Restrictions in the Same Living Area

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] “On one side of the road, business hours are restricted until 10 PM, while on the opposite side, there are no restrictions.”

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, has requested the government to allow non-metropolitan cities and provinces to autonomously decide on 'social distancing' measures.

Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 20th that Governor Lee proposed the “expansion of social distancing autonomy for non-metropolitan areas” at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting chaired by Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, on the 19th.

At the meeting, Governor Lee said, “Before Chuseok, when I visited traditional markets, the social distancing levels differed by city and county, causing difficulties for small business owners. Andong and Yecheon share a living area separated by just one road, but Andong has a 10 PM curfew while Yecheon has no time restrictions, which greatly frustrates residents in Andong.”

Governor Lee appealed, “Please leave the detailed measures to local governments according to regional circumstances.”

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol responded, “I agree with expanding regional autonomy. It would be good to discuss this issue again in early October when adjusting the new social distancing levels.”

Currently, COVID-19 cases in Gyeongsangbuk-do mainly appear in cities with populations over 200,000 such as Pohang, Gyeongju, Gumi, and Gyeongsan, while other cities and counties remain relatively stable.

Since April 26, Gyeongbuk Province has successfully implemented a pilot revision of social distancing measures nationwide for the first time, which has been expanded across the country. Cities and counties with populations under 100,000 are under Level 1, while those with populations over 100,000 are under Level 3.

The Level 1 areas include 12 cities and counties (Gunwi, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok, Cheongdo, Goryeong, Seongju, Yecheon, Bonghwa, Uljin, Ulleung), Level 2 includes 2 cities (Sangju, Mungyeong), and Level 3 includes 9 cities and counties (Pohang, Gyeongju, Gimcheon, Andong, Gumi, Yeongju, Yeongcheon, Gyeongsan, Chilgok).