3 Nights 5 Days Trip to Nha Trang to Celebrate the Launch of Muan Airport ↔ Nha Trang Cam Ranh International Airport Route
As Lumpy Skin Disease spreads nationwide, putting Korean beef farmers and quarantine authorities on high alert, controversy has arisen over the overseas trip of Mu-an County council members, which could be mistaken for a pleasure trip.
Mu-an County reported its first case of Lumpy Skin Disease on the 29th of last month and is making every effort to prevent its spread. However, council members, who should be serving the residents, have been criticized for embarking on an overseas trip costing 16 million won of taxpayers' money, seemingly abandoning the residents.
According to the county council on the 2nd, six council members and council staff departed for Nha Trang, Vietnam. The council members include Chairman Kim Kyung-hyun, Vice Chairman Lim Dong-hyun, and members Lim Hyun-soo, Park Ssang-bae, and Jeong Eun-kyung (proportional representation), totaling five members.
The council members left Mu-an International Airport at 8 p.m. on the 31st of last month, heading to Vietnam amid an emergency situation where Lumpy Skin Disease, a viral infectious disease, had broken out in Mu-an County. The county had formed a Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and was conducting culling according to the emergency Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to prevent further spread.
They are on an official overseas business trip for 3 nights and 5 days starting on the 31st of last month, visiting Lam Dong Province and Dalat City to commemorate the opening of flights between Mu-an International Airport and Nha Trang Cam Ranh International Airport, establish a foundation for friendly exchanges with Dalat City in Vietnam, and explore policy alternatives for agricultural issues. They are scheduled to return on the 4th.
There have been frequent cases where overseas business trips have turned into pleasure trips, so this overseas trip also needs to be scrutinized carefully.
Given that Korean beef farms constitute virtually the entire industrial base of Mu-an County, the damage expected from the outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease is considerable, and criticism is expected to intensify.
Mu-an County has culled 134 cattle due to the outbreak and conducted visual inspections on 23,000 cattle raised at 615 livestock farms within a 10 km radius of the confirmed infected farms.
Moreover, following Mu-an, the outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease was reported in Sinan County on the 1st, and the damage is expected to increase further.
On the 29th of last month, Mu-an County urgently supplied vaccines by town and village and held emergency meetings with the livestock cooperative, public veterinarians, and heads of industrial teams in towns and villages to complete vaccinations for 43,352 cattle across 1,227 farms, ensuring thorough emergency measures.
A Korean beef farmer in Mu-an said, "The country is on high alert and preparing for the spread of Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle, yet the council members, who are the local workers, are leaving for overseas trips ignoring the residents. This is incomprehensible from a common-sense perspective," adding, "It is outrageous to see such behavior, showing how little they respect the voters, the residents."
A Mu-an County office employee clicked their tongue, saying, "This is truly too much. Korean beef farmers are losing sleep with a heavy heart, and yet they go on pleasure trips. How can that be acceptable?"
A Mu-an County Council official stated, "We conducted visual inspections within a 10 km radius and confirmed no abnormal reactions before deciding to depart. The trip was contracted with a travel agency in September, and if canceled, only 20% of the cost would be refunded, so the council members left with heavy hearts."
Mu-an = Oh Hwan-joo, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy just8440@asiae.co.kr
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