COVID-19 tracking app in South Korea exposes couple who were cheating on their partners

While the South Korean authorities created a public database to keep track on COVID-19 positive people, the app accidentally even exposed couples who were apparently cheating on their partners. According to an international media report, the public database was created in a bid to provide detailed information about every infected individual, including their exact movements around the country. From credit card transactions to closed-circuit TV footage, the app constantly updates the whereabouts of the person infected with the virus. 

However, according to the ‘Country that Beat the Virus’ documentary, which was recently released by an international media outlet, people said that the app let them ‘connect the dots’ and figure out that their partner was cheating on them. 

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A local in the documentary reportedly said that some people figured out as there were cases where people were in places they shouldn’t have been in, such as hotels and motels. The local added that the app also tracked people who visited areas where they never visited before. The GPS tracking eventually resulted in exposing the couples who were cheating on their partner. 

Second wave

Meanwhile, the country is seeing a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases. As of now, South Korea has reported more than 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has even claimed nearly 260 lives in the country. However, country’s Vice Health minister Kim Gang-lip reportedly said that re-imposing social distancing rules were unlikely as long as the daily number of COVID-19 cases remained below 50 and officials were able to trace 95 per cent of all infections. 

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“For now, we will monitor how the current transmissions go and review whether we should reconsider our distancing policy,” he added while speaking at a media briefing.

According to reports, a cluster has emerged in the capital's Itaewon entertainment district over the last few days which raised serious concerns of the second wave of infections. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon reportedly said nearly 7,272 people in Seoul have been tested in relation to the nightclub cluster. He added that more than 36 per cent of cases are asymptomatic and the rate of spread is very high and warned the people of a probable second wave of infections.

(Image credit: Rep/ AP) 

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