Category: Korea-General Topics

I believe this is going to be a reoccurring event for many schools having to open and close regularly based on cluster infection incidents:

 As the coronavirus infections soared to a five-month high on Friday, a record number of schools nationwide were forced to shut down to protect children and educators from the novel coronavirus.

A total of 849 schools stopped their in-person classes, the Ministry of Education said, the biggest number since the country reopened schools on May 20.

The figure broke the previous record of 838 on May 28 when a cluster of infections popped up in a logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

In Seoul, the northern ward of Seongbuk, where the new COVID-19 hotbed Sarang Jeil Church is located, was the hardest hit with 79 schools affected, and the nearby ward of Gangbuk saw 40 schools shut down. As of Friday morning, 732 coronavirus infections have been tied to the church.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if President Moon tries to crush opposition rallies by using the coronavirus as an excuse:

The President demanded the authorities bring criminal charges against those hampering epidemiological investigations and quarantine operations and, if necessary, apprehend them on site and seek an arrest warrant.

“The core principle of the nation’s fight against COVID-19 is swiftly detecting and testing those who have come into close contact with coronavirus patients, and isolating and treating infected people,” Moon said during a visit to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s (SMG) office in charge of the city’s disaster and safety countermeasures. “But some people and organizations are systematically hampering the government’s efforts to stem the spread of the virus.”

Some local churches are facing mounting controversy and public anger as they have appeared to be uncooperative in tracing and isolating potential COVID-19 patients.

Among the churches is the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul led by conservative pastor Jun Kwang-hoon who has led several anti-government rallies, with the most recent one held in central Seoul Aug. 15. The rally brought together thousands of demonstrators despite the government’s advice to follow social distancing guidelines.

Korea Times via a reader tip

You can read more at the link.

The spread of the coronavirus largely in the Seoul area continues to get worse:

South Korea’s health authorities warned Friday they will consider upping the level of social distancing to the highest level if nationwide outbreaks of the new coronavirus continue after the weekend.

The country’s virus fight has reached a critical phase as its daily new virus cases surpassed 300 for the first time since early March on Friday due largely to church-linked cluster infections in the wider capital area and other regions.

The country added 324 more COVID-19 cases, including 315 local infections, raising the total caseload to 16,670, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

Friday’s tally marked the most since March 8 when the daily virus cases reached 367.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Something these news stories never mention about this breakout of the coronavirus in Seoul is whether the hospitals are being overwhelmed or not? That is the key factor people need to remember, is the spread contained enough to where the hospitals can handle the sickest people:

 South Korea’s daily new virus cases have now soared by three-digit figures for a week straight as the country on Wednesday reported the largest number of cases since early March, with infections traced to churches in the capital city of Seoul continuing to swell. 

The country added 297 more COVID-19 cases, including 283 local infections, raising the total caseload to 16,058, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). 

Over the past week, the daily new virus cases have been in the triple digits, with almost 1,300 cases being newly identified. Wednesday’s daily tally marks the most since March 8, when the country reported 367 COVID-19 cases.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This just shows how quickly this virus can spread when people are not vigilant:

The COVID-19 crisis appears to be spinning out of control in Korea with the Seoul metropolitan area recording triple-digit increases in new infections over the past five days.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 246 new cases Monday, pushing up the total caseload to 15,761 with 306 deaths. Among the 246, 201 were in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, as the total number of cases over the last five days reached 991. 

Mass infections were reported to have started in churches and then spread to people at restaurants, coffee shops, military bases, protest sites and police stations. COVID-19 is posing a grave challenge to quarantine officials who have branded the current situation worse than the outbreak among the Shincheonji Church of Jesus members in Daegu in February and March.

In response, the government banned all churches activities in the Seoul metropolitan area, except for an online worship starting from midnight Tuesday.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the government also plans to temporarily shut down karaoke and PC rooms, clubs, buffet restaurants, public libraries, galleries and museums. 

It is also interesting that authorities are blaming anti-government protests as well for spreading the virus. This seems like a convenient way to try and stop the rallies.

It wasn’t that long ago when South Korea reported just 3 local infections, but now there is a surge of infections being caused by indoor gatherings:

South Korea’s new coronavirus infections jumped to a five-month high of 279 on Sunday due mainly to a surge in church-related cases in the greater Seoul area.

This brought the country’s total caseload to 15,318, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Of the total, 267 were locally transmitted cases. 

It marked the highest figure since March 8 when the new daily infections stood at 367 after hitting a record high of 909 on Feb. 29, with Daegu and its neighboring North Gyeongsang Province at the center of the mass outbreak. 

It also marked a three-digit number for the third straight day, following 103 infections Friday and 166 Saturday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but doing something like this is not helping stop the spread:

The warning came after pastor Jun Kwang-hoon and other members of the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul took part in massive anti-government rallies held in downtown Seoul on Saturday in violation of self-quarantine rules. They were supposed to be quarantined after more than 100 COVID-19 patients were traced to the church.

As of 2 p.m., infections tied to the church have swelled to 249 nationwide, the KCDC said, adding that the figure is feared to grow as thousands are undergoing virus tests.

What we have learned from the U.S. media is that as long as it was a “peaceful protest” the virus won’t spread there. Yes, I am joking, but just think how bad the spread of the virus is going to be once it gets cold outside with more people gathering indoors.

The unhappiness of the Korean public is growing at the Moon administration’s efforts to manipulate the real estate market:

With the average jeonse price in Seoul millimeters from the 500-million mark, people are taking to the streets and claiming the government is forcing them into rent servitude and denying their rightful place as members of the propertied class.  
   
According to KB Kookmin Bank’s monthly report on real estate prices Thursday, the average jeonse long-term deposit price for apartments in Seoul was 499.22 million won ($421,500) last month, up 7.7 percent from the same period last year.    
   
In July the average jeonse price in Seoul for 3.3 square meters (35.5 square feet) was 19 million won. This means the jeonse price for an 86.95-square-meter apartment in Seoul is 499.3 million won.  (…………….)

Civic groups gathered in front of the government’s administrative office in Gwanghwamun Thursday demanding President Moon remove Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee from her post. Their criticism was strong, calling the real estate measures a failure. They also urged the government stop coming up with more, claiming that the real estate measures have created many innocent victims.    
   
“They are nothing but a political ploy that goes against market principles and are ineffective in helping the lower classes. The government wants to turn everyone into rent migrants so that more people become their core supporters,” said one participant at the event.     
   
Another participant mentioned how torn younger people are to hear the government promote the monthly rent system over living in a jeonse flat and asked if the administration will be “happy to see everyone in the country live as tenants in government-owned rental apartments.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.