Telcos to hand in location data over weekend mass rally

SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's three major telecom operators will hand over location data of mobile users who attended a large anti-government rally last weekend to health authorities, industry officials said Wednesday, as part of the country's anti-infection efforts against the resurgence of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The Saturday protest, which drew thousands of demonstrators, has raised alarms over mass infections as the country reported 297 new cases, the most since early March on Wednesday, bringing the total caseload to 16,058.

The mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- will submit data of mobile users who accessed base stations around Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Saturday for over 30 minutes, following a request from health authorities Tuesday.

Under the country's infectious disease control and prevention law, health authorities can request information of potentially infected individuals to track them and prevent the spread of diseases.

The telecom operators have previously handed over data of more than 10,000 mobile users due to outbreaks linked to nightclubs in Itaewon, central Seoul, in May.

Over the past week, the daily new virus cases have been in the triple digits, with almost 1,300 cases being newly identified. Wednesday's daily tally marks the most since March 8, when the country reported 367 COVID-19 cases.

The country has implemented enhanced social distancing guidelines, such as restricting outdoor gatherings of more than 100, in the capital and nearby regions to further stem the spread of the virus.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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