深度-布鲁金斯学会-韩国对COVID-19的政策和制度回应（英文）-2021.6-31页_759kb

Summary of South Korea's Policy & Institutional Responses to COVID-19

Core Content

South Korea's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by a robust public health strategy that emphasized testing, contact tracing, and quarantine, supported by mobile technology and data analytics. This approach enabled the country to effectively limit the spread and duration of outbreaks, even without implementing economy-wide closures or stay-at-home orders. The government's focus on transparency, public compliance, and institutional coordination played a critical role in managing the crisis.

Main Points

• Early Detection and Response: South Korea identified its first case on January 20, 2020, and experienced a rapid increase in cases by early February. A significant cluster emerged in Daegu in mid-February, leading to a peak of 851 new cases on March 3.

• Control Measures: Authorities managed to bring cases down rapidly through targeted closures, enhanced testing, and contact tracing. The country maintained new cases below 100 per day between mid-March and mid-August, and by August 1, 2020, had 14,366 confirmed cases and 301 deaths.

• Public Health Strategy (TRUST): The South Korean government adopted a TRUST approach, which stands for Transparency, Robust screening and quarantine, Unique but universally applicable testing, Strict control, and Treatment. This strategy allowed the country to maintain economic activity while managing the health crisis.

• Testing and Contact Tracing: South Korea's success was largely due to widespread testing and advanced contact tracing, which relied on mobile phone data, banking information, and CCTV footage. By the end of February 2020, four effective tests were available, and drive-through and walk-through clinics enabled rapid testing.

• Economic Response: The government implemented targeted fiscal measures to support affected industries and stimulate consumer spending. A notable example was the emergency cash transfer payments via pre-paid cards and credit card deposits, which ensured funds were spent rather than saved.

• Unemployment Impact: The unemployment rate rose from 3.0% before the pandemic to 4.6% in December 2020, the highest in over a decade. However, it remained low by international standards and declined after the summer of 2020.

• Vaccination Rollout: South Korea faced criticism for its slow vaccine rollout, starting in February 2021 with frontline workers and long-term care residents. By May 1, 2021, 7.1% of the population had received their first dose, and 236,188 were fully vaccinated. The government aimed to vaccinate a quarter of the population by June 2021 and reach herd immunity by November 2021.

• Local Production Deals: South Korea sought local production agreements with international vaccine manufacturers to ensure domestic availability and price negotiation power, rather than relying solely on imported doses.

• Public Compliance and Trust: The government's transparent communication and consistent public health messaging fostered public trust and compliance. This was a marked improvement over its response to MERS in 2015.

• Protests and Unrest: While there were no initial protests, tensions arose in August 2020 when conservative Christian groups protested church closures and mask mandates, contributing to the second wave of infections.

• Third Wave Challenges: The third wave, which began in mid-November 2020, saw a surge in cases, peaking at 1,237 per day on December 24. The government responded with targeted closures and enforced mask mandates, but public compliance waned, and the number of daily cases remained high as of May 1, 2021.

• Data Transparency: South Korea provided accurate and transparent statistics, including daily updates and patient-level data, which contributed to international understanding of the pandemic.

Key Information

Conclusion

South Korea's response to the pandemic has been a best practice example in terms of public health management, with effective testing, contact tracing, and quarantine being central to its success. While the third wave highlighted the limitations of its strategy, the country's institutional coordination, public engagement, and data-driven approach have set a global benchmark. Its economic response has been targeted and effective, and vaccine production efforts are expected to accelerate the path to herd immunity. However, the delay in vaccination and public fatigue underscore the challenges of long-term pandemic management.