"South Korea and Spain, Hope to Help Each Other" Son Mina Explains Korea's COVID-19 Response on Spanish Broadcast

Son Mina uploaded an interview video with local Spanish media on her YouTube channel 'Son Mina'. Photo by YouTube channel 'Son Mina'

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Son Mina, a writer and former KBS announcer, appeared on the 50-year-old Spanish current affairs talk show "The People's Mirror" to discuss South Korea's response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

On the 28th, Son Mina posted a video on her personal channel "Son Mina" featuring an interview with local Spanish media.

In the broadcast, Son Mina summarized South Korea's quarantine measures into three points and accurately conveyed them in Spanish.

Son Mina said, "In my opinion, the reason South Korea was able to control the spread of COVID-19 better than other countries is the government's proactive tracking of confirmed cases' movements, comprehensive investigations, and testing."

She added, "In South Korea, there is a website where government ministries share a vast amount of information with the public within limits that do not violate national secrets or privacy. This information is quickly transmitted from the main site to the local governments' computer systems as it is posted."

Regarding concerns about privacy invasion or human rights issues, Son explained, "No personal information is leaked. The confirmed patient's name, exact age, or residence cannot be known. However, it is possible to know where the confirmed patient stayed at what date and time and which public transportation they used."

She continued, "This system not only helps prevent further infections but also allows people who unknowingly stayed in the same place as a confirmed patient to get tested."

Local media praised this, saying, "It is remarkable and impressive that South Korea, with a population similar to Spain's, tracked each individual. The issue of privacy invasion is handled without leaking personal information, and Spain should learn what attitude mature citizens should take."

Son Mina said, "I am not someone who represents the government’s position, so I speak cautiously, but I think there might be ways for the two countries to help each other."

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