"Pay 1.1 Billion Won for COVID-19 Testing" Changwon City Files Reimbursement Lawsuit Against Discount Mart for Group Infection

Holding Namchangwon Nonghyup Accountable for Treatment Costs of Confirmed Cases, Diagnostic Testing Fees for 18,000 People, and Clinic Installation Expenses

Immediately after the mass infection incident at Namchangwon Nonghyup, numerous citizens underwent diagnostic testing at the Ga-eumjeong-dong Wetland Park screening clinic in Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, last August.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The city of Changwon in Gyeongnam Province is drawing attention as it has filed a large claim for damages exceeding 1 billion KRW against a large discount mart where a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred.

Of the total claim amount of 1.15 billion KRW, more than 92%, or 1.063 billion KRW, was spent on diagnostic tests for visitors to the store, raising interest in how the court will rule on the damages and losses suffered by the administrative authorities.

Previously, in August last year, Changwon City filed a claim for 300 million KRW against two confirmed cases who concealed their attendance at the Gwanghwamun rally during the Doosan Machine Tools cluster infection. The trial is still ongoing.

On the 24th, Changwon City announced that it had filed a claim for 1.15 billion KRW against Namchangwon Nonghyup, holding them responsible for the COVID-19 cluster infection.

Changwon City recently submitted the claim petition to the Changwon District Court.

The claim amount includes approximately 1.063 billion KRW for diagnostic testing fees at 57,000 KRW per person for 18,660 people, 82 million KRW for treatment costs of 18 confirmed cases, and 10 million KRW for additional screening clinic installation costs, totaling 1.15 billion KRW.

Changwon City asserted that Namchangwon Nonghyup violated quarantine rules and recklessly continued business operations, causing COVID-19 diagnostic tests for about 20,000 citizens.

They explained the reason for the claim by stating that the hospitalization and treatment costs for confirmed cases among visitors, as well as direct and indirect social and economic costs, caused social confusion.

Earlier, Changwon City imposed a 10-day business suspension and a fine of 22.5 million KRW on the Namchangwon Nonghyup distribution center, where 69 confirmed cases occurred after an employee concealed the fact of a COVID-19 infection and continued business operations.

Namchangwon Nonghyup paid the full fine. However, they filed for a suspension of execution and a main lawsuit requesting cancellation of the business suspension, arguing that the suspension was too excessive to accept.

The court accepted the provisional injunction for suspension of execution, stating that the business suspension could cause irreparable damage, and thus the suspension was temporarily lifted.