South Korean President Moon Jae-in Apologizes About Handling COVID-19

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Photo via Antara)

JAKARTA - South Korean President Moon Jae-in apologized because he felt his government had failed in suppressing the spread of COVID-19.

Reporting from Antara, Thursday, December 16, through a presidential spokesman, Moon also apologized for the government's failure to maintain adequate hospital beds during the previous easing of restrictions.

South Korea has again tightened social restrictions as the number of new cases and hospitalized COVID-19 patients increases. The decision was taken a month and a half after COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 7,622 new cases on Wednesday, December 15, a day after recording a daily record of 7,850 cases.

The number of severe patients reached a new record of 989 cases. About 87 percent of intensive care rooms are filled with patients in the Seoul metropolitan area and about 81 percent across the country.

The daily number of cases broke the 7,000 mark for the first time last week, just days after crossing the 5,000 mark.

South Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) director Jeong Eun-kyeong said the daily figure could hit 10,000 this month if there were no changes in the handling of COVID-19.

South Korea's total infections have so far reached 544,117 cases, 148 of which are suspected to be due to the Omicron variant. The number of deaths during the pandemic was recorded at 4,518 people.

Based on the latest developments, the restrictions will be re-imposed in South Korea from Saturday, December 18 to January 2. Meeting participants are limited to no more than four people who have been fully vaccinated.

Restaurants, cafes, and bars should close by 9 p.m. while cinemas and internet cafes by 10 p.m., officials said. People who are not vaccinated can only eat outside alone or buy food to eat at home.