Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- South Korea's presidential office was once put under the direct threat of a novel coronavirus after President Moon Jae-in, accompanied by aides and senior government officials, showed brave hearts to make a field trip to a provincial city stricken with a spike in the number of confirmed cases.

The presidential office got startled after an assistant of Lee Seung-ho, a vice mayor in the southeastern city of Daegu, was found to have been infected with the virus, hours after Moon met with city officials on Tuesday to encourage their efforts in a battle to contain a virus epidemic that infected hundreds of patients in the city and its adjacent province.

Lee was just several meters away from Moon, prompting the presidential office to issue an urgent text message asking journalists, presidential staff and government officials to put themselves into self-quarantine for a week in their houses. There was no official comment on whether President Moon received the message.

The message stressed that anyone who shows "symptoms" should report to anti-virus centers. Presidential aides heaved a sigh of relief a day later when the vice mayor tested negative for the virus. As a result, the order for week-long isolation was canceled.

The episode underlined widespread mental agony and stress in the South Korean public as the epidemic left more than 1,200 people infected and 12 others dead as of Wednesday in 37 days.

Public fear has engulfed Daegu, a major conservative anti-Moon stronghold where some 2.6 million citizens are desperately trying to avoid being infected with the highly contagious virus. Some were witnessed hoarding ready-to-eat foods such as canned food and instant noodles from supermarkets and convenience stores.

The branch of Shincheonji Church of Jesus was located in Daegu. The religious group has been the target of public fury since a 61-year-old follower was guaranteed on February 17 after attending services in Daegu. Some 60 percent of confirmed cases in recent days were, directly and indirectly, related to Shincheonji.

Using a strategy of legal threats and persuasion, government officials secured a list of 212,000 Shincheonji followers and their contact information on Wednesday for swift virus tests across the country. "The list will be delivered to each local government today, and action will be taken promptly," Deputy Heal and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-rip told a regular press briefing.

The list did not include followers in other countries, Kim said, adding it should not be misused for persecution. A 73-year-old Shincheonji member in Daegu was pronounced dead on Wednesday, becoming the 12th fatality from the new coronavirus. The 11th fatality was a Mongolian patient who arrived in Seoul on February 12 to receive a liver transplant.