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| Applicants take a written test ― part of the recruitment process of Ansan Urban Corp. ― at a football stadium in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. The city-run company held an outdoor test to prevent the spread of COVID-19. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
The Ministry of Employment and Labor has stirred up a controversy over its decision to push ahead with national technical qualification tests taken by over 25,000 examinees, Sunday, despite the government's ongoing social distancing campaign amid continuing spread of COVID-19.
Practical exams, including those for skilled welders were held at 216 sites such as local schools nationwide, while written tests including those for gas technicians were held at 44.
A total of 25,245 people applied for practical and written tests, according to the ministry.
The ministry said it took various preventive measures against the new coronavirus at the test sites and asked examinees to keep a distance of more than 1 meter from each other.
But the decision to push ahead with such large-scale state exams has ignited controversy at a time when the government decided, Saturday, to extend its social distancing campaign for another two weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the nation had no choice but to maintain a high-level social distancing drive for the time being.
"The government has asked churches to cease offline worship services following the outbreak of the new coronavirus. It has also delayed the opening of schools. I think officials at the labor ministry are out of their minds as more people gather at the test sites," one internet user with the ID rlaw**** wrote on Naver.
Another internet user with the ID like**** wrote, "Ministries here seem to be practicing inconsistent policies, while medical staff are fighting the disease with the utmost dedication to reduce the number of infected patients."
Ministry officials said the decision was made as it did not want the examinees to suffer from possible disadvantages if the tests were postponed, noting that postponement of the tests would have also had adverse effects on job seekers.
Preventive measures taken by the ministry at the test sites included asking people to wear face masks and sterilize their hands before entering the sites.
Officials checked their temperatures, and directed those with a fever to take the tests in separated cubicles.
The ministry also consulted with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to check the examinees' records of coming into contact with any infected people.
Vice Labor Minister Lim Seo-jeong said, "We took thorough preventive measures to help the examinees take the tests in a safe environment and face no obstacles in their job preparation."
The vice minister made the comments during his visit to Yongsan Technical High School in Seoul where several practical exams took place.
