Day of Reckoning
South Korea’s democracy has faced yet another stern test with the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, a polarising figure whose ill-conceived martial law decree plunged the nation into a constitutional crisis.
South Korea has reported two fresh cases of the new coronavirus as its outbreak continues to slow.
Figures released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday brought national totals to 10,806 infections and 255 virus-related deaths.
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While more than 1,100 of the country’s cases have imported, such cases have declined in recent weeks as authorities stepped up border controls, such as imposing two-day quarantines on all passengers arriving from abroad.
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Last week, the country reported no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time since its 29 February peak.
The country once had the largest outbreak outside China, where the disease first emerged in December last year, but appears to have brought it under control with an extensive “trace, test and treat” programme.
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun during a virus meeting on Wednesday called for vigilance and instructed officials to prepare for a possible second wave of infections. He said preventing an overwhelming of hospitals in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area would be key.
Earlier in April, South Korea became one of the first countries in the world to hold a national election since the coronavirus epidemic began, with many others postponing elections.
South Korea has won praise from the World Health Organization for its successful flattening of the curve, with more than a dozen world leaders seeking Seoul’s advice on quarantine measures and requesting test kits.
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