The South Korean Covid Lesson By GUY SORMAN

 索爾孟(GUY SORMAN)

　　1964年畢業於法國巴黎政治學院，獲博士學位，任職於法國國家行政學院。1975年創辦Sorman出版社，1979年參與創建非政府組織─國際抗飢餓行動組織，任主席；1993-1995年，任法國外交部長顧問，負責對外文化活動，1995-1997年任法國總理顧問。曾為法國外交部長領導下的法印論壇成員、巴黎Boulogne-Billancourt區副區長(主管文化)、法國全國人權咨詢委員，以及北京經貿大學、智利聖地亞哥大學、加拉加斯大學、里約熱內盧大學、哈佛大學等學校的客座教授，曾任韓國總統李明博全球事務顧問，美國《華爾街日報》， 《城市論壇》City Journal，法國《費加洛雜誌》等各大媒體專欄作家。自1983年以來，已出版著作《美國保守革命》、《自由解決》、《世界新財富》、《我們時代真正的思想家》、《資本論、影嚮及結果》、《印度製造》、《美國製造》、《謊言帝國》、《伊斯蘭製造》、《經濟不說謊》、《經融海嘯後的世界》、《我為何成為美國公民》等著述三十餘種。

CITY-JOURNAL.ORG

The South Korean Covid Lesson | City Journal

A high-trust society that credits its government with good intentions responds well to national emergencies.

...The risk was recognized, and the counterstrategy was ready: test, trace, isolate. This strategy was implemented with no hesitation and without interruption.

Continuity has been central to South Korean success. Less than one month after the virus was identified, through negotiations between the government and private pharmaceutical laboratories, 1 million tests kits were made available and half a million people were tested every day; they still are. Positive cases were immediately isolated at home, in hotels, or hospitals; massive testing allowed tracing through personal contacts with contact tracers and effective smartphone apps. This massive intrusion on personal privacy faced minimal resistance, with nearly all Koreans in agreement on the priority of containing the virus above concerns about empowering the surveillance state. Simultaneously, the government implemented a unified, clear, and strong communication policy, encouraging the population to wear masks, wash their hands, and keep socially distant. Fines for not wearing masks were put in place, but since South Koreans spontaneously wear masks as soon as they catch colds, and children at school are trained to wash their hands frequently, there was little need to police the noncompliant.

Some locations identified as centers of infection, mostly bars and evangelical churches where social distancing was not respected, were temporarily closed. The rest remained open. If South Korea suffered a modest economic decline and some unemployment, its economy has subsequently surged.

The achievement of the South Korean model cannot be understood without emphasizing its cultural basis. The South Korean people may like or dislike their government, but they trust that it makes rational choices. These choices are well explained and well understood because South Koreans believe in scientific progress. And the national strategy is thoroughly applied because South Koreans share a strong sense of collective discipline: shame on you if you do not wear a mask or forget to wash your hands. If you’re ordered to quarantine, the order is not a suggestion, and your family and neighbors will not let you escape for a walk in the park or a trip to the store...