Why Did France's Le Monde Visit Seocho District Office to Ask About COVID-19 Prevention Strategies?

Interview with Seocho-gu Mayor Jo Eun-hee on Seocho-gu's Leading COVID-19 Prevention Strategies; Untact Screening Clinic Tour and Accompanying Coverage of 'COVID-19 Rapid Response TF Team' Epidemiological Investigations

Harold Thibault, Deputy Director of the International Department at Le Monde, interviewing Jo Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho District

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Harold Thibault, Deputy Head of the International Department at the prominent French daily Le Monde, visited Seocho-gu, which has been proactively responding to COVID-19 and is equipped with state-of-the-art screening clinics.

As of the 18th, France currently reports 45,000 new daily cases and has surpassed 2 million cumulative confirmed cases. This is the highest in Europe and ranks fourth worldwide after the United States, India, and Brazil, leading to regional travel restrictions being imposed.

In this situation, the Deputy Head of Le Monde’s International Department visited Korea, particularly Seocho-gu, known for its excellent epidemiological investigation capabilities and well-equipped screening facilities, to inquire about the path France could take to overcome COVID-19 through K-quarantine measures.

In April, Seocho-gu had already provided advice on its COVID-19 response via a video call with the mayor of Paris’s 15th arrondissement.

"COVID-19 is still ongoing; how has Seocho responded?"

In an interview between Le Monde and Seocho-gu Mayor Cho Eun-hee, when asked, "How are you overcoming the second wave of COVID-19 currently occurring worldwide?" she replied, "Even during the summer lull, we prepared for the second wave by organizing facilities and teams. The first step was establishing an untact (contactless) screening clinic, and the second was creating a 'Rapid Response Task Force' specialized in epidemiological investigations. The untact screening clinic allows medical staff to conduct over 500 tests daily quickly and safely without wearing protective suits, and the Rapid Response Task Force is a specialized epidemiological investigation team composed of 43 communication and IT experts in 20 groups, alongside medical personnel, for CCTV analysis."

Le Monde showed particular interest in Korea’s globally renowned epidemiological tracing and asked many questions. Mayor Cho responded, "Epidemiological investigation is a crucial and essential task to identify close contacts, quickly isolate and test them to prevent further spread. When epidemiological investigations are specialized, the classification of close contacts who need testing and self-quarantine is swift and accurate, effectively curbing the spread of infectious diseases."

She continued, "Rapid epidemiological tracing is possible because citizens actively cooperate with mature civic awareness. We disclose confirmed patients’ movement paths only when necessary to prevent the spread of infection, minimizing personal privacy infringement. Also, following government guidelines, information disclosure about confirmed patients is limited to 14 days from the last contact with others, ensuring the 'right to be forgotten'."

Seocho-gu also detailed six proactive COVID-19 response measures that have gained nationwide attention and become benchmarking models for Le Monde.

First is the 'comprehensive testing of overseas arrivals.' Seocho-gu began testing all residents arriving from abroad from March 13, ahead of the government. They also transferred arrivals separately from the airport to the district’s screening clinic and enforced a two-week self-quarantine, becoming a leading model in managing overseas arrivals.

Second, they introduced the 'pooled testing method,' mixing up to 10 samples for rapid testing at once. This was the first such measure in Seoul and allowed comprehensive testing of all nursing hospitals in the district, enabling swift response to cluster infections.

Third, Seocho-gu was the first nationwide to introduce 'fever-check AI robots.' These AI robots were deployed in 51 elementary, middle, and high schools in the district, leading the way in non-face-to-face quarantine using smart technology from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Fourth is the rapid and transparent disclosure of confirmed patients’ movement paths. To minimize residents’ anxiety and prevent infection spread, the district has disclosed movement paths since the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis. This approach has become a model case recommended by the National Human Rights Commission.

Fifth, Seocho-gu was the first nationwide to provide 'closure support funds' for multi-use facilities. They supported PC rooms, karaoke rooms, indoor sports facilities, clubs, etc., with up to 1 million KRW for two weeks of closure. This targeted support for small business owners affected by COVID-19 encouraged other local governments to follow suit.

Lastly, Seocho-gu installed a state-of-the-art untact screening clinic. In preparation for the autumn and winter resurgence of COVID-19, they established a screening clinic in September where the entire process?from epidemiological investigation to sample collection?is conducted via 'non-contact walk-through.' Government agencies and local governments have been requesting materials, inquiries, and visits for benchmarking.

Deputy Director Harold Thibault of the International Department at Le Monde touring the untact screening clinic while receiving guidance from the district office

"Finding hope to overcome COVID-19 in Seocho’s S-quarantine system..."

During the untact screening clinic tour following the interview, Harold Thibault expressed amazement at the possibility of contactless screening and the various cutting-edge facilities ensuring the safety of medical staff and patients, stating that such facilities should exist in France as well.

The next day, to learn more about Korea’s epidemiological tracing, he planned to continue coverage by accompanying Seocho-gu’s 'Rapid Response Task Force' team on-site.

In the interview, Harold Thibault said, "Korea, especially Seocho-gu’s COVID-19 response methods, were very effective and impressive. I will report on this rapid quarantine system upon returning to France to help the government overcome COVID-19."

Seocho-gu Mayor Cho Eun-hee added, "In the COVID-19 pandemic, the best vaccine is the citizens who strictly follow quarantine rules. Mature civic awareness is the most reliable foundation for COVID-19 response. We believe we are ahead compared to other countries thanks to the experience from MERS, the developed health insurance and healthcare system, and the dedication of medical staff and public officials who have been on the front lines of quarantine for a long time." She added, "I hope Seocho-gu’s advanced COVID-19 response will serve as a good reference for the French people so that we can overcome this disaster together."

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