[Post-Corona, Discussing Local Autonomy] COVID-19 Prevention's Top Contributor 'Local Autonomy' <2>

'2020 Seoul City Opening Ceremony' attended by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and 25 district mayors

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] 2. Local Governments: The Key Players in COVID-19 Prevention

◇Local Governments Breathing Together with the People

A(31), who works in Yongsan-gu, has been on emergency duty for over two months. Recently, A said, "I've never been this busy since becoming a public official," adding, "In addition to my regular duties, I am responsible for tasks related to the COVID-19 disaster response headquarters, so my workload has increased to an unimaginable extent."

After the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to Shincheonji showed signs of stabilization in April, he briefly felt relieved. However, when community cluster infections emerged from entertainment venues, there was not a single day he could go to work with peace of mind. Every morning at 7 a.m., the COVID-19 test results are released. If all tested individuals are negative, it is a relief, but if even one positive case is found, emergency duty resumes.

Through preliminary investigations, they identify places visited by confirmed patients and begin epidemiological investigations. Once results are available, the movement paths are posted on the district’s website. Then, quarantine personnel are dispatched to the sites to thoroughly eliminate any remaining virus. They also meticulously review visitor logs to encourage COVID-19 testing for those who visited clubs and bars. Despite receiving dozens of calls daily from anxious residents worried about cluster infections, they strive to provide information promptly and reassure the public.

With increasing inquiries about Seoul city and government disaster relief funds, the volume of civil complaints has also surged. A said, "On busy days, I barely have time to eat properly. I live on cup noodles and lunch boxes," and lamented, "From the moment I wake up until just before going to bed, I only think about work, so I’m exhausted and really want to rest now."

Nevertheless, what keeps him going is the sense of mission to protect the people and move forward together. Confirmed patients are hospitalized for treatment. However, the majority of citizens live in anxiety in their daily lives. To overcome this and maintain their positions, systems must be operated. Support is provided for daily necessities so that those in self-quarantine do not have to leave their homes. Material assistance is necessary for those who suddenly lost their jobs. More delicate care must reach vulnerable groups.

Jung Chang-yeol, head of the COVID-19 quarantine team and leader of the audit and civil complaint patrol team in Seongdong-gu, recently told a reporter, "When I saw that three people I contacted to trace the movements of confirmed COVID-19 patients tested positive, I had terrible thoughts," adding, "Especially since many team members have young children, they often went out alone to trace movements."

◇Ironclad Quarantine, Rapid Investigation, Disaster Relief... Shining at Every Critical Moment

While confirmed cases and deaths continue to rise in major countries such as the United States and Europe, South Korea recorded fewer than 30 confirmed cases in the past week. Treatment outcomes are also favorable. Nine out of ten patients have completed treatment and been released from isolation. Even the general election, held under global scrutiny, was successfully conducted with zero confirmed cases.

The COVID-19 crisis has fully revealed the strengths of the Korean-style local autonomy not only to our citizens but to the world. Furthermore, this virus has redefined the very question of "What is a nation?" The central government is not the entirety of the nation. The true value of local governments (local autonomous entities), which have more agile and deeper reach into citizens’ lives than the central government, has begun to be felt. Local governments also proposed concrete methods for achieving public-private cooperation during a full-scale crisis like this. Experts evaluate that local governments, which took proactive measures at every critical juncture, led the central government.

After the first positive case, patient number 31, linked to Shincheonji was confirmed in Daegu on February 18, hundreds of new cases emerged daily, and COVID-19 spread rapidly. The medical system was on the verge of collapse. Daegu City was the first to propose a system dividing confirmed patients into mild and severe cases, using residential treatment centers and dedicated hospitals. This completely changed the central government’s guidelines for patient treatment and management, preventing the collapse of the medical system.

On February 25, when concerns about a second wave of infections in the metropolitan area arose, Gyeonggi Province began a forced investigation of the Shincheonji headquarters in Gwacheon. Governor Lee Jae-myung ordered the immediate closure of Shincheonji facilities and banned gatherings. Seoul City also took a tough stance by closing Shincheonji facilities and canceling corporate registrations. As a result, no cluster infections linked to Shincheonji occurred in the metropolitan area.

On March 2, when confirmed cases increased unpredictably and rapidly, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon launched the "Pause for a Moment" campaign, introducing the concept of social distancing for the first time. The central government then expanded this nationwide. The dominant view is that Korea was able to effectively contain COVID-19 without forced measures such as city lockdowns, building closures, or shutting down commercial and multi-use facilities, thanks to the early implementation of social distancing.

After transitioning to the "distancing in daily life" quarantine system on May 6, cluster infections occurred in entertainment venues. The sharp rise in cases over two weeks was barely brought under control, preventing the worst-case scenario. Behind these results was the effort of autonomous districts working overnight on the front lines of COVID-19 response.

They sought out those who had visited nearby areas during the suspected infection period and encouraged COVID-19 testing. All Yongsan-gu staff mobilized, using every method including visitor logs, credit card usage records, companion investigations, and cross-checking mobile base station access lists. As a result, about 5,100 COVID-19 tests related to entertainment venues were conducted at the district health center. Out of approximately 60,000 tests conducted by 226 local governments nationwide, Yongsan-gu alone accounted for about 5,000.

Local governments also took the lead in saving citizens facing livelihood crises. On March 8, Kim Kyung-soo, governor of Gyeongnam Province, was the first to propose to the government the payment of disaster basic income of 1 million won per person. In contrast to the somewhat delayed government emergency disaster relief payments, local governments quickly executed part of the budget on their own, filling the central government’s gap.

Since local governments provide administrative services on the front lines, they know their residents much better than the central government. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, local governments were able to respond swiftly because they developed and provided necessary services ahead of time. In the past, the central government conducted testing and diagnosis when infectious diseases occurred, but now the authority has been delegated to cities and provinces. This enabled the successful initial response to COVID-19.

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