Tag: South Korea

The spread of the coronavirus in South Korea is getting worse every day:

South Korea’s daily coronavirus cases spiked to 397 on Sunday, all but 10 of them local infections, as new cases rose sharply not only in the capital area but with provincial infections also jumping to a triple-digit gain.

Of the total COVID-19 cases, 294 were reported in Seoul and the surrounding areas and the other 100 cases in provincial regions, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The country’s total caseload has risen to 17,399.

Sunday’s new cases are the most since March 7, when the country reported 483 new cases, the KCDC said. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but buried in the article is once again there have been no additional deaths leaving the death toll at 309 and there are only 30 people hospitalized.

The spread of the coronavirus in South Korea is expanding to areas outside of Seoul:

South Korea’s daily new virus cases surpassed 300 again Saturday, and infections were reported in all major cities and provinces, as concerns are growing that the country is entering a new phase in the pandemic with infections spreading throughout the country.

The country added 332 more COVID-19 cases, including 315 local infections, raising the total caseload to 17,002, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

For the first time since the first case was confirmed in January, all of the country’s 17 major cities and provinces reported COVID-19 cases.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the article goes on to blame churches and the anti-government rally for the recent outbreak. Interestingly buried at the very end of the article is the fact that there has been no additional deaths reported with the death total remaining at an incredibly low 309 people.

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.

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.

This is what prosecutor reform looks like in South Korea, get rid of the prosecutors that investigate corruption in the ruling party:

Elite prosecutors are accusing the administration of retaliation for their investigations targeting politicians and officials close to President Moon Jae-in, with some stepping down in protest in the past week.    
   
The Ministry of Justice said Friday that Kim Nam-woo, deputy head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office, recently submitted his resignation. Kim was in the midst of investigating allegations that Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s son was given preferential treatment, and ultimately let off the hook, after he went AWOL from the military in 2017.    
   
Kim, 51, was a top prosecutor who had served in key posts, including the head of the policy planning department within the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the head of the criminal department within the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.    
   
After Choo took office in January, Kim was named the deputy head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office. In his new post, he led the investigation into Choo’s son.    
   
Since January, Choo carried out three major reshuffles of the prosecution’s ranks. The latest, concerning senior prosecutors, took place on Aug. 7. Kim was left out, while three of his classmates from the Judicial Research and Training Institute who entered the program in 1997 were promoted in the latest reshuffle.    
   
“I won’t beg for a promotion,” Kim was quoted as telling other prosecutors, according to the officials within the prosecution.    
   
“Many of the prosecutors who faced political revenge for going after the powers-that-be say they carry resignation letters in their pockets to submit anytime,” one prosecutor said.  
   
Choo has repeatedly demoted prosecutors who investigated key allies of Moon, a list that notably includes Han Dong-hoon.   
   
Han, the lead prosecutor of an investigation into former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family for alleged academic fraud and financial corruptions, was demoted as the deputy head of the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office in January. He was further demoted in June to work as a researcher at the Institute of Justice.   

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link about the retaliation against prosecutors to include the prosecutor that uncovered the real estate speculation scheme by President Moon’s close associate Sohn Hye-won who received a jail sentence for it.

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.