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Assistant Professor of Political Science Seung-Youn Oh wrote recently about South Korea’s success in containing the spread of the coronavirus. Oh specializes in international relations and comparative politics in East Asia.

Lessons Learned

“South Korean efforts to combat COVID-19 emerged following the traumatic experience of the 2015 outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).”

Another Way

“South Korea presents liberal democratic countries with an alternative to the top-heavy approach that China employed in response to COVID-19.”

The Price of Silence

“During the MERS outbreak, Korean authorities withheld key information about patients’ locations due to concerns that the public would panic.”

All Together Now

“South Korea’s experience with MERS led to the recognition of the importance of working partnerships between the central and local governments in fighting epidemics and mobilizing locality-specific resources.”

The Good Fight

“As South Korea demonstrated, transparency, communication, and collaboration are the key weapons in this fight against the invisible, mysterious, and debilitating novel coronavirus.”