K-Quarantine

With support from President Moon Jae-in, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency worked to prevent the spread of the disease, conducting daily briefings and creating a system to track South Korean cases in real time.

Medical staff worked around the clock, isolating from their families overnight and during the holidays. Personal protective equipment, including masks, was a job requirement through the summer.[10] In surveys conducted in October and November, higher than average numbers of healthcare workers were experiencing significant levels of depression.[11][12] During April and May, expressions of gratitude toward medical staff began online and spread throughout South Korea. The "thank-you challenge" eventually included President Moon Jae-in, (BTS, Kim Yu-na,[13] Park Na-rae,[14] Lee Hyo-ri, and other celebrities.

A drive-through testing site in South Korea

On February 23, 2020, South Korea developed the world's first drive-through COVID-19 testing sites, which were initially conceived by Kim Jin-yong, director of infectious medicine at Incheon Medical Center, and installed at Chilgok Kyungpook National University Hospital.[15] At a drive-through test site at Daegu Yeungnam University Hospital, staff were able to complete reception, examination, temperature measurement, sample collection from nose and mouth, and disinfection in 5–10 minutes per vehicle.[16]

Drive-through testing expanded to 50 drive-through testing locations in operation. Drive-through screening clinics have been praised by media around the world, including CNN and AFP.

Kit that detects both flu and COVID-19[17]

Until May 2020, South Korean health officials used a transparent information disclosure system to make the public aware of outbreaks and potential spread. New confirmed cases would be announced with the individual's age, gender, movement, neighborhood, and even sometimes their last name and occupation.[18] This information disclosure was re-examined after an outbreak in the Itaewon area of Seoul led to doxxing and other privacy invasions for infected individuals.[19]

Koreans have used the individual's QR code on NAVER or KAKAO app to track the individual who visited indoor spaces without disclosing private information. After Omicron variant spreads, the Korean government announced that the COVID-19 Vaccine pass(방역패스) is mandatory to enter indoor spaces, including restaurants, cafes, pubs, etc.[20] Vaccine pass system has expanded to department stores, large retailers, and hagwon in Jan 2022. Either proof of vaccination on the app or a negative PCR test result is required to enter for most of the multi-use facilities. Over 1,000 lawsuits against the Vaccine pass were filed on concerns over discrimination against unvaccinated people.[21] Expanded vaccine pass is criticized for lacking scientific grounds and fairness.[22] Most of the lawsuits are still underway and written judgment over Vaccine pass suspension varied according to each local court.[23]

South Korea's Foreign Ministry held a videoconference with representatives from China on March 13, 2020, to discuss responses to the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and modes of potential future cooperation, including "quarantine, exchange of clinical information, supply of quarantine materials, and supporting business activities." As a result, masks were exchanged between Korea and China.[24]

Additionally, the former chairman of Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce company, donated 1 million masks to Korea.

Following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and President Moon, South Korea exported 750,000 testing reagents to the US, followed by two test kit shipments totaling 750,000 units. Shipments were also sent directly to Colorado via Congressman Cory Gardner and to Maryland via Governor Larry Hogan.[25] The tests were some of the first to clear the United States Food and Drug Administration's approval process and the first significant shipment of testing kits to be ordered by the US government.[26]

As of April 7, 126 countries had inquired about purchasing diagnostic tests from South Korea[27]

Korean diagnostic kits have been exported to 106 countries worldwide, including the United States, Colombia, India, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. The amount sold reached about $156.7 million by April 20, 2020. The Korean government prioritized streamlining the import of the test kit components, hoping that the market for these tests would help improve South Korea's pandemic-impacted economy.[28][29][30]

In late April, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki told economic ministers that "In light of the COVID-19 situation, we shall make the best use of the K-quarantine model as an asset to advance economic cooperation, to pioneer new markets and to improve the country's reputation in the international community." The government announced it would pledge $400 million to health projects in developing countries.[31]