Everyone Praises Korea's COVID-19 Response, but Why Is It Hard to Follow?

NYT: South Korea Only Country to Curb COVID-19 Surge Without Strict Lockdowns
Four Key Lessons Including Rapid Intervention Introduced
Political Will, Social Commitment, and Timing Are Crucial

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] As the United States and the rest of the world suffer from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Korea's experience is drawing attention. Unlike other countries where the number of new confirmed cases is rapidly increasing, Korea is showing a decreasing trend.

On the 23rd (local time), the American daily newspaper The New York Times (NYT) reported that among countries with large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks, only Korea and China have curbed the increase in new confirmed cases, and Korea achieved this without the strict lockdown measures seen in China.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), praised Korea's case as a model example. He said, "Korea has shown that it is possible to suppress the spread of COVID-19," and emphasized, "Other countries should apply Korea's experience." Experts also agree that Korea's case should be referenced. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, evaluated on Twitter that "Korea has demonstrated that COVID-19 can be overcome with smart and aggressive public health measures."

Based on Korea's case, the NYT presented four lessons. The first is to intervene quickly before a crisis occurs. In Korea's case, diagnostic kit development was underway before COVID-19 spread in earnest, and when the number of patients increased to dozens, 10,000 kits had already been produced.

The second lesson is to conduct diagnostic tests early, frequently, and safely. The NYT stated that Korea conducted 300,000 diagnostic tests, which is more than 40 times that of the United States. Korea tested as many people as possible at 600 diagnostic centers, and during this process, health personnel minimized their exposure to infection. Drive-through testing allowed quick tests with minimal contact, and test results were available within a few hours.

The third lesson is to trace, isolate, and monitor contacts. When a positive case is identified, contacts are traced and isolated to block the spread of infection early. To this end, Korea mobilized security cameras, credit card records, GPS records from vehicles and mobile phones, among others. Moreover, emergency disaster messages, internet, and mobile phone application services help identify infection routes. Through this, people who are judged to have been in contact with infected individuals are able to get tested.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The fourth lesson is to ask for help from the general public. Korea actively requests citizens' cooperation to wear masks and encourages social distancing.

However, the NYT raised doubts about whether Korea's case can be applied to other countries. Although the quarantine measures adopted by Korea are neither complicated nor costly, there are significant obstacles to overcome.

The key issue is political will. It is not easy to take strong measures in advance before a crisis occurs. Another problem lies in the realm of public will. If social trust is low, social conflicts may arise. Even in Western countries with a long history of democracy, right-wing groups may rise during such crises, or political extremism may threaten democracy. Above all, time is crucial. To respond like Korea, early action was necessary.

Even if it is already too late to follow Korea's lessons, there are calls to still follow this process. Former Commissioner Gottlieb said, "The United States may have already missed the opportunity to achieve results like Korea," but urged, "We must do our utmost to avoid a situation like Italy's."

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