"Doing Well, Republic of Korea" Domestic and International Praise for Korean Government's COVID-19 Response

Trump "South Korea handled COVID-19 well" .. AFP praises drive-thru testing facilities
"Proud of Korea" amid waves of support, but calls to "focus on preventing community transmission" also emerge

On the morning of the 12th, medical staff are conducting tests at the drive-through screening clinic for the novel coronavirus installed at Jamsil Sports Complex in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spreads worldwide, domestic and international praise continues for our government's response. In particular, foreign media have praised the fact that the movement routes of confirmed patients disclosed by our Ministry of Health and Welfare are immediately shared with the public, noting this as a difference from other countries.

Specifically mentioning our situation, the person who praised it was U.S. President Donald Trump. On the 16th (local time), during a White House briefing on COVID-19, he said, "I know many people mention that South Korea has done a great job in responding to COVID-19," and evaluated, "South Korea responded well."

At a hearing held by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform on the 11th (local time), praise for South Korea's COVID-19 response continued. Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (Democratic Party member) said in her opening remarks, "Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testified that the CDC has conducted about 4,900 tests so far," and emphasized, "In comparison, South Korea conducted more than 66,000 tests within a week after the first case of community transmission occurred."

French AFP news agency also detailed the South Korean government's approach to the COVID-19 situation that day. The agency evaluated, "South Korea once had a surge in COVID-19 cases, with the number of confirmed cases second only to China, the origin, but later significantly reduced the infection rate and became one of the countries with the lowest COVID-19 fatality rates worldwide."

It added, "South Korea can conduct more than 15,000 tests per day, and as of that day, about 220,000 tests had been conducted," explaining, "There are more than 500 designated testing facilities, including drive-through centers that minimize contact between patients and medical staff."

The UK's Daily Mail last month noted, "On the Ministry of Health and Welfare website, citizens can find out whether they have been in contact with infected individuals," and pointed out, "The sharing of such important information with the public is a level different from other countries."

On the 9th of last month, an employee at the Jung-gu Public Health Center in Seoul is holding up a specimen collection kit for COVID-19 testing. As of that day, specimen collection and test requests for COVID-19 diagnosis are available at 124 public health centers with screening clinics installed, and testing is possible at 46 medical institutions.
/Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, various response methods to COVID-19 are also attracting attention. Notably, a diagnostic kit capable of determining COVID-19 infection within 10 minutes has been developed. Some are considering or have started exporting to Europe, Asia, and other regions. Because of this, expectations are rising that South Korea will play a significant role in global quarantine efforts.

The drive-through screening method, which allows COVID-19 testing inside cars, is similarly noteworthy. The Blue House evaluated the nationwide implementation of drive-through testing on the 16th as "becoming an international standard."

In particular, domestic researchers have gained attention for developing a replacement nanofiber mask that remains intact even after more than 20 washes. On the 16th, KAIST announced that Professor Kim Ildu's research team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering developed nanofibers that maintain excellent filter efficiency even after washing.

The nano mask is a new material-based mask that can be used after more than 20 washes, and if approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is obtained soon, commercialization is expected within a month. Since it is used by inserting the newly developed filter inside a cotton mask, it is known that with just a cotton mask and 12 filters, it can be used for one year.

On the morning of the 5th, employees of Gwangju Buk-gu Office and Buk-gu Council held a performance cheering for overcoming COVID-19 while holding papers with supportive messages at Gwangju Buk-gu Office. Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, a short video titled "Volunteers in South Korea deliver boxes of food to people in self-quarantined people," posted by U.S. ABC News on the 14th, received a flood of comments praising South Korea.

The video showed volunteers delivering local specialties such as apples, pears, sweet potatoes, and instant health foods to citizens in self-quarantine. Domestic and international netizens who saw this left comments such as "I was moved by South Korea's image," "South Korea helps each other in times of crisis. We should emulate this," and "I hope South Korea overcomes the COVID-19 situation well," expressing support.

As a result, citizens are also voicing support, saying, "The government's response is highly evaluated even abroad. I am proud to be Korean." This is especially because the number of additional confirmed COVID-19 cases has fallen below 100 for three consecutive days, and the number of newly recovered patients exceeds new confirmed cases.

A 27-year-old office worker A said, "Just by looking at other countries' situations, you can see how well South Korea is responding to COVID-19. The number of confirmed cases is gradually decreasing, which means management is going well."

A housewife B (43), who said she is raising two children, said, "I think the reason the proportion of children among confirmed COVID-19 cases is low is because the government actively took measures such as postponing school openings and recommending school closures," adding, "We should support the government and those working hard and overcome the COVID-19 situation."

However, some voices emphasize that since the COVID-19 situation is not yet over, utmost efforts must be made in quarantine. C (38), who has been working from home since early this month amid the spread of COVID-19, said, "It is still a time to be cautious," emphasizing, "Since community infections are appearing in small units and are being suppressed by measures such as school opening delays, it is premature to pop champagne, so we must first do our best in quarantine."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.