Democratic Party submits 5 bills to curb spiking COVID-19

Arrest without warrant and imprisonment when violating protest ban or uncooperative to investigation

The ruling party readies for a full-on quarantine measures by introducing a series of bills to curb COVID-19 resurging in South Korea centering a far-right church in Seoul metropolitan area.

 

On Aug.

 

20 and 21, the Democratic Party submitted five bills to the National Assembly (NA) to strengthen the existing regulations to contain the rapid spread of the novel virus.

 

The bills would clarify standards of imprisonment or fine, in case of disrupting a COVID-19 epidemiological investigation or violating the ban on assembly like protesting at the Gwanghwamun Plaza, and seek indemnification for the damae of an individual willfully spreading the infection.

 

The five bills on preventing resurgence of COVID-19 outbreak were registered on the NA Bill Information System website as of Aug.

 

23 that reinforce restriction against misconduct affecting the virus infection like the 8/15 Gwanghwamun Protest or relevant participants.

 

The ruling Democratic Party is highlighting the close relationship between the United Future Party and the controversial Sarang Jeil Church’s pastor, Jun Kwang-hoon, as they introduced the bills.

 

Ultimately, the new spike of COVID-19 cases has broken out right in the middle of political strife between the ruling and the opposition parties.

 

First, the Democratic Party Lawmaker Jung Chung-rae proposed a revision bill in ‘Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety,’ and reprimanded Sarang Jeil Church’s Rev.

 

Jun and the followers being the catalyst to the major outbreak of COVID-19 in Seoul.

 

Regarding the current law stipulating the restricted or prohibited use of a facility or site to prevent a severe disaster threatening the public safety and the submission of private information of related event participants, Lawmaker Jung pointed out the existing law, lacking a clear punishment for violators, is impractical.

 

Therefore, the lawmaker submitted a bill to levy penalty on an individual disobeying the restricted or banned use of high-risk facility or site, mandated evacuation, or requested provision of personal information.

 

Other lawmakers from the party—Kim Sung-joo (a ruling party adviser to NA Health and Welfare Committee), Lee Wonwook, Oh Young-hwan and Jeon Yonggi—have also introduced bills to amend ‘Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.’

(From left) Democratic Party Lawmaker Jung Chung-rae, Kim Sung-joo, Lee Wonwook, Oh Young-hwan and Jeon Yonggi.

 

Lawmaker Kim Sung-joo’s bill stipulates a tightened penalty on a violator of the infectious disease control measures, and a regulation to claim damage compensation.

 

The revision bill would legally allow the government or regional government body to claim damage compensation in case an infectious disease spreads or the risk of outbreak grows due to a third-party’s intentional conduct or major fault.

 

Also the amended law would levy a severe penalty on a certain group or a leader or member of an organization refusing or disrupting the epidemiological investigation, or intentionally omitting or covering facts to impede relevant investigation.

 

Moreover, the high-level penalty would be imposed on an individual intentionally refusing to be quarantined or hospitalized, or leaving the quarantined site and infecting others.

 

Lawmaker Lee Wonwook criticized the existing law as it only imposes comparatively light criminal penalty on an infected patient refusing to receive in-patient treatment or hospitalization and treatment.

 

In particular, the lawmaker rebuked the absence of penalty regulation on an individual that not only refuses the treatment, but also actively infects other individuals recklessly, and difficulties the law enforcements face when acquiring the location of an individual accused of committing the said misconduct.

 

Accordingly, Lawmaker Lee’s bill would newly add penalty clauses for an individual infecting other people, and stipulate three years or less of imprisonment and arrest without warrant during an emergency.

 

Meanwhile, Lawmaker Oh Young-hwan’s bill tightened the penalty on temporary prohibition order on gatherings like a protest.

 

The existing law stipulates the Minister of Health and Welfare to prohibit protest to calm the spreading of infectious disease, and levies fine of less than 3 million won for violating the order.

 

But the lawmaker argues such weak penalty has allowed the 8/15 Protest to boost the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

Lawmaker Oh’s bill would make the penalty significantly stringent by tightening the current penalty of a fine less than 3 million won to five years or less of imprisonment or 50 million or less of fine.

 

Lawmaker Jeon Yonggi also aims to reinforce the penalty when violating the restriction on an assembly like protesting.

 

Referring to the ‘Assembly and Demonstration Act,’ his bill would elevate the penalty to imprisoning and warranting exemplary damages on an infected individual violating the health authority’s restriction on gathering.

 

The NA plans to review and deliberate the submitted bills during the September provisional session.