"Public Officials Gave Up Holidays... Various Encounters at Late-Night Pubs," Complains Jeonbuk Provincial Health Director

Kang Young-seok, Director of Welfare, Women, and Health Bureau, Jeonbuk Province.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Kang Young-seok, Director of the Welfare, Women, and Health Bureau of Jeollabuk-do, expressed a devastated sentiment over the situation where new COVID-19 cases exceeded 3,000.

Today (the 25th), Director Kang said at a COVID-19 briefing held at the provincial office, "Last night, many people were having various gatherings at different pubs regardless of the current situation." He continued, "My colleagues have given up both the Chuseok holiday and weekends," adding, "There are not enough public health center staff, so general administrative employees are conducting epidemiological investigations. It is very regrettable and leaves me speechless," expressing the difficulties.

Director Kang stated, "We also have faults. Before talking about 'With Corona,' we should have carefully reviewed how to respond to COVID-19 and communicated it to the public and residents," and criticized, "Instead, we were only busy announcing when the vaccination would be completed and when to transition to 'With Corona'." Previously, the government announced that it would consider a gradual transition to 'With Corona,' a phased plan for daily life recovery, starting from the end of October when the vaccination completion rate exceeds 70%.

In response, Director Kang diagnosed, "Because timely guidance was not provided, many people seem to misunderstand the COVID-19 situation," and said, "There can be no 'With Corona' amid the surge in confirmed cases." He also mentioned, "No one can guarantee where the end will be after the 3,273 new confirmed cases. Without the cooperation of the public and residents, K-quarantine is useless."

Furthermore, Director Kang added, "Our quarantine system has not been thorough, nor has the social distancing policy been good enough to keep COVID-19 cases stable," and said, "It would have been difficult without the patience of the people, the efforts of healthcare workers, and the sweat and tears of self-employed business owners." He emphasized, "The most exemplary response is to refrain from new movements and gatherings," and urged, "As citizens of the Republic of Korea and members of this society, please judge what the right action is."