Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young Demands Responsibility from Future Integration Party over 'Cluster Infection'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young demanded a responsible stance from the Future Integration Party regarding the cluster infection at Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul.

Mayor Yeom said in a phone interview with TBS's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on the morning of the 19th, "Currently, Suwon City has identified 64 Sarang Jeil Church members in the city. 55 have undergone investigation, and 1 is scheduled for testing. The remaining 8 are not answering calls or have their phones blocked."

He continued, "Of the 55 people, 11 have been confirmed as infected. Contact tracing is difficult, and they are showing uncooperative attitudes such as making false statements or recanting, making it challenging to grasp the current situation."

He then stated, "Of the 11 confirmed cases, 2 are residents of other areas. They were confirmed at hospitals in Suwon and were later found to be church members. It appears these people received instructions or training from the church not to go to local health centers but to receive tests elsewhere," raising questions.

Mayor Yeom raised his voice, saying, "For order maintenance at the August 15 rally held at Gwanghwamun, 117 auxiliary police officers in Suwon underwent testing. What fault do these police have? They ended up being dispatched to a very dangerous infection site. There are multiple secondary issues involved."

He then criticized the opposition Future Integration Party regarding the confirmed cases at Sarang Jeil Church and the August 15 rally.

Mayor Yeom remarked, "I was taken aback by remarks from Future Integration Party floor leader Ju Ho-young suggesting it is acceptable to participate in rallies critical of the government. One should not speak so lightly of something like gambling that puts the entire nation at risk."

He continued, "All this time, the government, local governments, medical personnel, and citizens have worked for quarantine efforts, but it collapsed in an instant. I heard that many former members of that party participated in the August 15 rally. It is unacceptable that a ruling party would maintain such an irresponsible attitude—as if infection risk is unavoidable if the rally is critical of the government."

Meanwhile, Mayor Yeom, who has stepped forward as a candidate for the Supreme Council of the Democratic Party, posted on his personal Facebook on the 18th regarding the cluster infection involving Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon and followers of Sarang Jeil Church, demanding of Representative Kim Jong-in and the Future Integration Party "a clear stance and responsible attitude from the opposition regarding the Gwanghwamun rally, confirmation of party members who participated in this Gwanghwamun rally, and responsible measures toward them."