Government Focuses on Price Stability, Fire Safety, and Quarantine Management During Seollal Holiday

Minister of Environment Han Jeong-ae visited the Guro Resource Circulation Center in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 29th to inspect the recycling sorting site. Minister Han requested the officials to respond thoroughly at the recycling sorting facility in preparation for the temporary increase in recyclable waste after the Lunar New Year holiday.

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The government has inspected price stability for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products as well as processed foods expected to see significant price increases during the Lunar New Year holiday, and has taken measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through quarantine management.

On the 29th, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy conducted special inspections of electricity and gas at 500 traditional markets and shopping districts to prevent fires during the holiday season. Minister Moon Seung-wook visited Yongmun Traditional Market the day before to check fire safety and monitored price trends by purchasing seasonal items such as fruits and rice cakes using Onnuri gift certificates.

Minister Han Jeong-ae of the Ministry of Environment visited the Guro Resource Circulation Center in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day to inspect the recycling sorting site. Anticipating a temporary increase in recyclable waste after the Lunar New Year holiday, Minister Han requested officials to respond thoroughly at recycling sorting facilities to prevent any inconvenience to the public.

The Ministry of Environment will also strengthen quarantine measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at facilities attracting many tourists during the holiday, such as national parks, the National Institute of Ecology, the National Institute of Biological Resources, and public zoos.

National parks across the country will guide visitors to less crowded trails to disperse the increased number of visitors expected during the Lunar New Year holiday. Visitors can check trail congestion levels through the Korea National Park Service website.

The National Institute of Ecology located in Seocheon, Chungnam, will operate normally except on the 31st and February 1st. However, the indoor exhibition hall, Ecorium, will limit the number of visitors to fewer than 15 per minute. The National Institute of Biological Resources in Incheon and the National Nakdong River Biological Resources Center in Sangju, Gyeongbuk, will also operate normally except on the 31st and February 1st. Considering the COVID-19 situation, they plan to operate both online and offline exhibitions while strictly adhering to quarantine guidelines.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries inspected the distribution status of holiday seasonal products and focused on managing COVID-19 quarantine measures in traditional markets. Deputy Minister Eom Gi-du visited the Garak Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in Seoul ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday to check regular disinfection of major movement areas within the market, placement of hand sanitizers, and compliance with mask-wearing among workers.

Deputy Minister Eom urged, “As wholesale markets are multi-use facilities expected to be visited by many people during the holiday, please do your best to manage COVID-19 quarantine so that both merchants and consumers can trade seafood with peace of mind.”