Data on More Than 50,000 Civil Complaints Related to ‘COVID-19’ Played a Role in Enacting Disinfection Measures and Addressing People’s Inconveniences

- ACRC has analyzed a total of 52,118 cases of civil complaints for two months after the 1st COVID-19 case was confirmed in Korea, and pushed for measures to mitigate people’s inconvenience in cooperation with relevant ministries and agencies -

April 13, 2020

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

The Republic of Korea

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Pak Un Jong) has been enacting measures to solve various civil complaints in cooperation with relevant ministries and agencies by analyzing 52,118 cases of complaints related to COVID-19 collected through its Complaints Analysis System* for the past two months from Jan. 20 to Mar. 19, in order to reflect the voices of the people into the government measures to tackle COVID-19.

* Government-wide Complaints Analysis System that comprehensively collects and analyses big data on civil complaints filed via e-People and local authorities’ complaints windows, etc.

The ACRC has been supporting policy improvements of other ministries and agencies by annually providing the results of analyses on civil complaints regarding social issues closely related with the public livelihood.

The ACRC this year analyzed civil complaints associated with the outbreak of COVID-19 as complaints soared with the virus spreading across the country, following last year when it supported the enactment of countermeasures against fine dust, or PM 10, by analyzing relevant civil complaints during the period when fine dust worsened.

< Changes in No. of complaints related to COVID-19 (1.20.∼3.19.) >

(a) After the 31st patient was confirmed to have been infected, the number of complaints steadily increased, and recorded the highest on Feb. 24 (2,549 cases)

(b) The increase in the number of complaints slowed down after Feb. 23 when the country’s infectious-disease level was raised to the highest

(c) Complaints spiked again after Feb. 29 when Korea recorded a new single-day high of new COVID-19 confirmed cases (909), and the trend was sustained.

(d) After Mar. 5 when the government announced measures to stabilize supply and demand of face masks, etc., complaints gradually declined

(e) Complaints have somewhat increased again from Mar. 16 onward

The most common type of complaints related to COVID-19 was about “disinfection measures,” (42.0%), followed by complaints asking for “remedy for daily inconveniences and damage” caused by COVID-19 (32.0%), those pertaining to “the supply of preventive gears, such as face masks” (10.7%), and those on “illegal acts and conflicts in daily life” stemming from anxiety over the outbreak of novel corona virus (8.8%).

(Disinfection measures) As the disinfection measures were strengthened, the number of complaints decreased compared to the beginning. Mostly, people filed complaints making the request for: the shutdown of collective facilities and the ban on mass gatherings, including Sunday services at churches; the reinforcement of quarantine measures and COVID-19 guidance for places where many people gather, such as clubs and casinos for foreigners, etc.; the postponement of the opening of daycare centers, kindergartens and schools; and the provision of information on COVID-19 for the disabled.

<Major Cases of Civil Complaints>

In this context, the government called for stricter “social distancing” through a statement by the prime minister on April 22 and is checking the status of compliance with the COVID-19 safety recommendations, such as the avoidance of gathering indoors in closed spaces, and the quarantine status of facilities used by many people. Accordingly, casinos for foreigners were also closed on April 24.

The Ministry of Education began the new school year with online classes step by step starting on April 9 after it has postponed it three times by five weeks as concerns persist over the spread of the novel COVID-19. The Ministry of Health and Welfare produced Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) aid and distributed it to selected clinics on March 31 to enhance the convenience of using those clinics by people who have speech/hearing difficulties.

(Complaints making the request for remedy for daily inconvenience and damage) people also filed complaints to: demand diversification of methods of remedy for damage and support for small and medium-sized businesses and workers amid the worsening economy; request settlement of disputes over fees and refunds due to cancellations and postponement of weddings, first birthday parties and trips; ask for remedy for damage caused by various test delays and cancellations; and request that inconveniences be removed for people under self-quarantine and users of hospitals and health centers.

<Major Cases of Civil Complaints>

As the number of complaints related to “remedy for daily inconveniences and damage” has increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 crisis, the government has held four emergency economic meetings presided over by the president to come up with measures to ease public inconvenience and provide damage relief.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups shortened the screening period by expanding the number of counseling staff and application channels for financial support for small and medium-sized businesses (Mar. 2) while simplifying procedures (Feb.25) including omitting on-site inspections, and providing10 million won per small business owner in emergency loan funds, adding up to 262.7 billion won (Mar.25 ~ Apr.10).

In addition, the Ministry of Employment and Labor extended the deadline for submitting language test scores to relieve the public’s damage caused by postponement of language tests, which has made it difficult for applicants to meet requirements for various professional licensing examinations, including those for tax accountants and certified labor attorneys (Mar. 20, Mar. 25), and in response to a request for the extension of the expiration date for using various job search/career transfer subsidies, it took measures to extend the validity period of the card provided to support job seekers in their skill development and learning in the case where the start of training is delayed (Mar. 31)

Besides, to continue health services suspended by COVID-19,the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security are preparing a plan to support couples with infertility problems and pregnant women by enabling them to apply for infertility treatment fees and receive iron and folic acid supplements without visiting health centers in person, while the Fair Trade Commission is in the process of review for the revision of the dispute settlement standards applicable to wedding and banquet facility operation industry to reduce disputes in similar situations in the future.

(Equipment for Disinfection and Prevention of Epidemics) people also filed complaints to request that masks sent by families for their family members living abroad or for sailors in overseas countries belonging to domestic companies pass through customs inspection, and demand improvements in the way public masks are distributed to severely-ill patients or pregnant women who have difficulties in going out to buy the masks.

At the beginning, there were many complaints calling for: the ban on practices of cornering and hoarding of masks; the provision of masks for the vulnerable; and the use of preventive equipment against COVID-19 epidemics by those working in facilities used by many people. However, with the government measure to stabilize the supply and demand of masks, including distribution of public masks, coming in place, the contents of these complaints changed into those asking for improvements in policy loopholes.

<Major Cases of Civil Complaints>

Accordingly, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is gradually expanding overseas shipments of masks to families living abroad, and exceptionally allowing overseas shipments of masks to international sailing ship employees (Apr. 5).

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has taken measures to allow family members of pregnant women and the disabled to purchase public masks on their behalf.

In addition, as illegal acts capitalizing on anxiety about COVID-19 including frauds on sales of epidemic prevention goods through phishing sites using masks as baits have been on the rise, people also filed complaints calling for a crackdown on exaggerated advertisements, fake news, and uncertain information dissemination activities (complaints on illegal acts and day-to-day life conflicts accounted for 8.8%).

In response, the Ministry of Justice implemented strong countermeasures, such as search and seizure of COVID-19 quarantine offenders (Feb. 28), and the National Police Agency ordered district police stations to conduct intensive investigations on frauds targeting a host of people, like the opening of similar mask online shopping malls (Mar. 10).

ACRC Chairperson Pak Un Jong said “In the future, we will exert our all-out efforts to see to it that the vivid voices of the people regarding COVID-19 quickly feed into the government policies in cooperation with other ministries and agencies.”

The results of the analysis on “COVID-19” related civil complaints are publicly available at bigdata.epeople.go.kr – “Big Data on Complaints at a Glance”.