"COVID-19 Hero" Leadership Praised, Jung Eun-kyung Says "Result of National Capability"

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, attributed praise from foreign media for her leadership in responding to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in South Korea to "the capabilities of the government and local governments."

On the 10th, during the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters regarding the domestic COVID-19 situation, Director Jung responded to a question about her impressions after reading a recent article about her leadership published by the U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

She said, "I believe that the current COVID-19 response is absolutely not the work of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters alone," and added, "As the crisis level was raised to 'serious,' the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters was formed under the Prime Minister's chairmanship, with active participation from various ministries, especially the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety."

She continued, "I believe that the response to COVID-19 is being carried out through cooperation between each local government and the central government, as well as active participation from healthcare professionals and other social sectors," emphasizing, "I am always grateful to many stakeholders, and I see this as the result of the crisis response capabilities of the government and local governments."

Earlier, leadership expert Sam Walker introduced Director Jung in detail in a WSJ op-ed on the 5th, noting that heads of health authorities worldwide have emerged as 'real heroes' during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walker evaluated, "Director Jung's consistent and candid remarks, evidence-based analysis, and patient composure are powerful to the public," adding, "In the heightened crisis phase, people instinctively trust Director Jung and believe what she says to be true." He also introduced that "on social networking services (SNS), people called Director Jung a 'warrior' and 'hero.'"

When asked about her quarantine philosophy that day, Director Jung stated, "The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency always manages infectious diseases based on scientific evidence and expertise," and added, "I believe that is our agency's philosophy and reason for existence."

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