“Why South Korea doesn’t believe Japan’s dramatic drop in COVID-19 cases is a fraud

“I don’t think it’s possible that the number of people infected with [the new coronavirus] will be reduced by one tenth in one month. If that were true, the world would have gotten rid of coronas a long time ago.

On the South Korean radio program “Kim O-jung’s News Factory” broadcast on October 4, Kim expressed his theory about the sharp decline in the number of corona cases in Japan. In South Korea, there have been a number of reports questioning the fact that Japan has reduced the number of infected people in a short period of time.

On August 20, the number of infected people in Japan reached a record high of 25,866 in a single day, but on October 16, the number of infected people dropped dramatically to 484, probably due to the success of two vaccinations and the declaration of a state of emergency. The country seems to have completely escaped this summer’s “fifth wave” caused by the onslaught of mutated strains. South Korea, on the other hand, is at …….

“When corona first spread globally early last year, South Korea took thorough measures. Large-scale PCR tests were conducted to detect infected people. We collected and disclosed their personal information, including their travel routes and medical institutions that treated them. Severe penalties were imposed on violators. This measure is called “K quarantine,” an acronym for Korea, and it is quite effective.

In his speech on the occasion of his third year in office last May, President Moon Jae-in praised the “K quarantine” and boasted, “Korea will become a global standard. Korea has become a global standard. Korea has become a global standard and is leading the world. Our status and pride as a nation are increasing. It was rumored that the quarantine department had been promoted to an agency and that the person in charge might win a Nobel Prize.

“The “illusion effect

However.

“However, it was difficult to track down those who had come into close contact with the disease at night in downtown areas where an unspecified number of people come and go, and the number of infected people increased from last summer. Even this year, the situation does not seem to be settling down. The success of the “K quarantine” may not have loosened up the situation, but the “fourth wave” that started in July has continued for more than three months, and the number of infected people per day has remained at a high level of 1,000 to 3,000.

The daily number of infected people in Japan and South Korea reversed on September 24 this year. On September 24 this year, the daily number of infected people in Japan and South Korea reversed: 2,093 in Japan and 3,237 in South Korea. This was the first time since June 22 last year that the number of infected people in Korea exceeded that in Japan.

Immediately after the outbreak, South Korean media began to question the decline in Japan.

Experts have been unable to come up with a clear explanation for the sharp decline in Japan. The analysis is that a combination of factors such as the vaccine effect and a decrease in population movement due to a sense of caution have contributed to the decline. On the other hand, the number of PCR tests per day, which had risen to 200,000 in mid-August, fell to 40,000-60,000 by the end of September, and some have suggested that this is an “optical illusion effect” caused by a decrease in the number of testers.

The government must not commit fraud (due to the upcoming House of Representatives election). The Japanese media is also unable to point out the government’s fraud.

“No evidence has been provided for either the “optical illusion effect” or the “fraud. Why is South Korea overreacting to the decline in the number of coronary infections in Japan? Shin’ichi Hen, editor-in-chief of Korea Report, tells us.

“In a word, it’s jealousy. South Korea is proud to have led the world with the K quarantine, which it introduced early on. Up until a certain point, it had clearly made greater achievements than Japan. However, after this September, the situation will be reversed. Although our population is about half that of Japan (Japan has about 125 million people. Korea’s population is about half that of Japan (Japan has about 125 million people, while Korea has about 51 million), but the number of domestic infections per day in Korea has recently doubled. If you compare Tokyo to Seoul, it’s more than eight times higher. As South Koreans, we can’t believe it.

In the background is the current situation of Japan and South Korea, which are unable to take a joint step. Since we are all East Asians, we should have worked together on vaccines and waterfront measures. However, due to the national consciousness that sees each other as rivals, both countries are looking at the number of infected people from the perspective of competition rather than cooperation.

We cannot honestly rejoice in the “achievements” of our neighboring countries. What needs to be overcome is the underlying animosity between the two countries.