- South Korean police mobilized buses at various checkpoints to resist political gatherings.
- Under the threat of a variant of the new coronavirus, these demonstrations are currently being held in the Seoul capital.
- This country has a story of successfully dealing with the coronavirus, but the Delta variant caused a surge in the number of new infections.
On Sunday, South Korean police mobilized hundreds of buses and set up dozens of checkpoints to fend off political gatherings in the capital Seoul, as some groups ignored warnings about the new coronavirus and pushed for annual protests.
South Korea is largely considered a success story for the coronavirus, but it is struggling to deal with the fourth wave of infections, with more than 2,200 new cases per day for the first time last week, partly due to the more contagious Delta variant.
The government has banned protests and has vowed to punish any violations before the Liberation Day on Sunday, and warned that the outbreak of anti-government rallies and churches in August last year will recur, leading to more than 1,800 cases.
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The police parked buses on the main streets and around a large square in downtown Seoul for blockade, and set up more than 80 checkpoints to stop vehicles carrying demonstrators and equipment.
The subway and public buses did not stop at several stations surrounding potential protest sites.
But footage from the local TV network shows that several groups encourage individual protests and marches, and keep a distance between participants to protest various issues such as government policies and workers’ rights.
On Saturday, the police disbanded an organization that hosted the rally in August last year. The court also issued an arrest warrant for a major trade union leader for arranging multiple illegal protests since May.
The Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention issued:
- There were 1,817 new cases on Saturday, the highest on any Saturday since the pandemic began last year.
- The total number of infections rose to 223 928, with 2 156 deaths.
In the fourth wave of the outbreak, South Korea worked hard to start its vaccination work amidst vaccine shortages and transportation delays, even though it had received 193 million doses of vaccine for its 52 million people.
KDCA data shows that as of Saturday, only 19% of South Koreans are fully vaccinated, but President Moon Jae-in vowed to increase this number to 70% by October in his speech on Liberation Day on Sunday, but there was no Explain in detail how to get the vaccine.
Approximately 43.6% of the population received at least one dose of the vaccine. The government’s previous goal was to reach 70% by September.
If you encounter untrusted Covid-19 vaccination information, please read Debunking the Covid-19 vaccine myth: learn the facts here.
