Commentary: South Korea handled COVID-19 pretty well. So why do people trust each other less?
VANCOUVER: Southward Korea was well prepared and acted chop-chop at the showtime of the COVID-xix pandemic in January 2020.
It pioneered new methods of aggressive COVID-19 containment while avoiding a national lockdown, a hard edge, or overly disruptive lifestyle measures.
As a result, Due south Korea has suffered just 54 deaths per million as of October 23. This contrasts with a world average death charge per unit of 628 per million.
Paradoxically, South Korean social club is coming out of the crisis in 2022 more fragmented and divided.
South korea TACKLED COVID-19 PRETTY WELL
The primary roots of the success of many East Asian countries in mitigating COVID-19 lay in institutional strengths. As early on as Jan 22, 2020, South korea triggered its centralised emergency response commission.
Its first test kits were available on Jan 31, 2020, and massive mask product was activated in early February 2020. Republic of korea relied on aggressive quarantine and contact-tracing measures, including mandatory data-sharing.
The country too relied on constructive public communication from President Moon Jae-in and Dr Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Middle for Affliction Control (KCDC).
Granted, South Korea failed to develop its ain vaccine due to an unrealised mRNA technology and was slow to line up to buy vaccines.
The fully vaccinated rate stood only at 14 per cent in stop-July even though Republic of korea caught upwards rapidly after that. As of Oct 23, the fully vaccinated rate reached seventy per cent (in a higher place the United States at 57 per cent and a notch above Japan at 69 per cent) and stood at 80 per cent for partially vaccinated people.
As the country remained open to trade and its large conglomerates cushioned the blows, Due south Korea only endured a one per cent economic recession in 2020. It is likewise on track to experience a very positive 4.2 per cent growth rate in 2021.
UPBEAT Nigh ACHIEVEMENTS BUT LESS SO ABOUT POLARISATION
Predictably, South Koreans feel positive about these achievements.
Polling shows that lxx per cent of the public feel that their country did a very good or somewhat expert job in dealing with COVID-19, compared to just 35 per cent in Japan and 42 per cent in the Usa.
Just South korea is lonely with Japan in Asia in showing a large increment in social fragmentation as a result of the pandemic — 61 per cent of South Koreans believe that they are more divided than before COVID-xix.
This contrasts with only 12 per cent in Singapore, 20 per cent in Taiwan, 23 per cent in New Zealand, and 39 per cent in Commonwealth of australia.
These feelings are confirmed by numerous cases of social anger, disobedience, and expressions of frustration. For example, in Jan, one Christian school in Gwangju was blamed for spreading the virus and subject to egging by infuriated protesters.
The ascension in social fragmentation can be attributed to a feeling of hopelessness that has intensified due to the perpetual sense of crisis.
According to the Oct 2022 COVID-19 risk sensation survey in Gyeonggi-exercise (ane of the provinces with the highest number of cases), respondents provided an average score of 48.ii out of 100 regarding the perceived degree of return to pre-COVID-19 daily life. It is this prolonged mental distress that undermines collective resilience.
It also stems from public frustrations caused by a perception that some people have non adhered to guidelines and restrictions.
Although social hygiene measures such every bit mask-wearing are generally well implemented in South korea, social distancing practices have encountered resistance, as evidenced by some large infection outbreaks.
These clusters involved simply a small minority of the population, merely the media actively documented them, inevitably inciting fear, anxiety, and anger.
One survey conducted by Seoul National University revealed that 79 per cent of the participants do not trust "other people" to behave according to regime directives.
This spirit of distrust was similarly captured by the #failure-of-social-distancing hashtag on Twitter, a popularised catalogue of criticisms virtually others' complacency towards government restrictions.
College WEALTH INEQUALITY CONTRIBUTES TO WIDENING SOCIAL DIVIDE
Increasing wealth inequality during the pandemic also farther deepened the social divide. In Jan, most 1 million jobs were shed amidst the backdrop of booming export industries.
Temporary workers suffered the biggest blow: amidst the 982,000 jobs lost, 898,000 (91 per cent) were in the service industry. At the same time, stock prices skyrocketed, and abode prices in Seoul increased by 22 per cent in 2020.
Inequality rose and poverty increased by over 6 per cent. Although economic dualism, the government's failure to stabilise property markets and the chaebol structure predate COVID-xix, it has rendered these structural inequalities more acute.
There are lessons from S Korea'south mixed outcomes with COVID-19 — despite a competent health response, the pandemic has exposed deep social fragilities and worsened inequalities.
The land may already have recovered 80 per cent of the jobs lost during the pandemic, but major socio-economic reforms may exist needed to ensure a truly sustainable and inclusive recovery.
Yoo-jung Lee is an MA candidate in East Asian Studies at Stanford Academy and a UBC Political Science graduate.
Yves Tiberghien is Professor of Political Science, the Konwakai Chair in Japanese Research and Director Emeritus of the Institute of Asian Inquiry at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of the just released 'The E Asian Paradox' (Cambridge University Printing 2021).
This commentary showtime appeared in Eastern asia Forum.
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