An Analysis of South Korea Government Infectious Disease Response Policies: Focusing on the Cascading Impacts of COVID-19

In recent years, the emergence of novel, unidentified diseases on a global scale has posed a significant threat to national healthy systems and public safety. In the case of such unidentified infectious diseases, as the cause is often unknow during the initial outbreak, it becomes more difficult to respond effectively in the early stages. Consequently, there has been an increasing emphasis on evaluating the impact of policies implemented during the response phase of outbreak, rather than solely focusing on prevention and preparedness. Infectious diseases have the potential to escalate from localized outbreak into national and even global crises. It also exhibits a cascading pattern of damage, significantly impacting not only the healthcare sector but also socioeconomic condition. As a result, nations have developed unique healthcare and public systems, accompanied by respective legal frameworks. The outcomes of these systems vary significantly based on their level of preparedness. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how different countries responses to infectious diseases can lead to vastly different outcomes in terms of confirmed cases and the resulting damage. Although it is challenging to definitively rank the effectiveness of different countries responses to the pandemic given their unique characteristics, the significance of having a well-defined diseases response policy is widely acknowledged. 

South Korea faced five distinct waves of COVID-19  infections, each presenting unique challenges. The country responded to these crises with tailored policies, ultimately allowing for a shift towards a “With COVID-19” approach after the fifth wave. South Korea had established a robust infectious disease response system through previous outbreak like SARS and MERS. The country’s innovative approaches to COVID-19, including drive-through, testing and rapid diagnostic development, drew international acclaim. Nevertheless, ir remained challenging to completely to completely eliminate vulnerabilities in responding to entirely new infectious diseases. 

This research seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of South Korea’s infectious disease response policies by focusing on five trigger by rapid surges in COVID-19 cases. Although is desirable to quantify the precise influence of individual policies on disease transmission, the inherent unpredictability of pandemics, such as the variability in susceptible populatinos, outbreak location, and transmission dynamics, often necessitates the simultaneous implementation of multiple interventions. Consequently a holistic approach is essential to analysis the overall impact of these policies. This research seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of various policies implemented at different phases of the outbreak in mitigation the spread of the infectious disease and to draw lessons for future infectious diseases reponse strategies in South Korea.