Violating Covid-19 Isolation, Indonesian Citizens Sentenced By A Seoul Court

Illustration of lonely atmosphere in Seoul due to COVID-19. (Gear5.8 by Roberto R./Unsplash)

JAKARTA - An Indonesian Citizen (WNI) was convicted and sentenced, after escaping from a COVID-19 isolation facility in Seoul, South Korea by digging an underground hole.

The Seoul Central District Court said, on Monday, February 8 local time, sentenced the 24-year-old male citizen to eight months in prison, with a two-year suspension for violating the Immigration Control Act.

The Indonesian citizen was known to have entered South Korea on September 21, 2020, then was put in independent isolation for 14 days at a hotel in downtown Seoul. The hotel is one of the self-contained quarantine facilities run by the government to stem the spread of COVID-19.

On October 4, 2020, he escaped from the isolation facility just a day before his isolation period ended, by digging a hole in the flower garden of the quarantine hotel with his bare hands. Three days later he was arrested in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province for trial.

"He is a foreigner who has to self-isolate, but escapes from the facility before his period of isolation ends. This is very risky behavior, given the highly contagious nature of COVID-19," said Judge Lee Soo-jeong.

"He deserves criticism because he deliberately broke self-isolation rules, at a time when health authorities and others here are trying hard to prevent the spread of infectious diseases," he continued.

The judge added that the court decided to suspend the prison sentence, given that he admitted his guilt and that he was also proven not to have the virus.