Why is South Korea beating coronavirus?

[soryang]

Last edited Tue Apr 14, 2020, 11:28 PM - Edit history (1)

Why is South Korea beating coronavirus? Its citizens hold the state to account
Tae Hoon Kim Apr 11 opinion The Guardian

South Korea is one of the few countries that has succeeded in flattening the coronavirus curve. Its policy of testing, tracing and treating without lockdowns has been widely lauded. Some attribute this to South Korea’s experience of having dealt with previous epidemics such as Sars and Mers. Commentators in the US tend to stress the country’s effective leadership, contrasting it with that of Donald Trump’s. Others point to cultural factors, such as the willingness of the public to sacrifice privacy for the greater good.

What is often overlooked, though, is that at the roots of South Korea’s success against Covid-19 are a well-funded and efficient system of delivering public services. Without this baseline infrastructure, the policy of test, trace and treat could not have been sustained or expanded to the degree that it has. Likewise, effective leadership cannot achieve much if it lacks a well-oiled public service system that can deliver.

More:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/11/south-korea-beating-coronavirus-citizens-state-testing

[PSPS]

1. One reason: So far they have avoided having a criminal Kremlin-backed cabal like our GOP in control

[customerserviceguy]

2. There are a number of reasons

South Korea is a technologically advanced society. My Hyundai hybrid car and Samsung products attest to that. Also, they have an open society with a free press, and not the communist system that screwed us all over like in China. Also, culturally, the South Koreans are not as individualistic as Americans, and are far less to defy, or even resent a government order that was seen as being in the people's interest.

[soryang]

3. S.Korean's are fractious and volatile, and defy the government frequently

Your last point is a stereotype that simply isn't true.

[customerserviceguy]

4. That's why I qualified my statement at the end.

I doubt they'd act like people willing to use gunfire to keep passing a virus around in a church.

[soryang]

5. there is pretty strict gun control in SK

so that is a major cultural difference.

Apart from the Sincheonji cult in South Korea, there have been ten other congregations that were reported to continue indoor church services against government public health recommendations. I think because of legal contraints, the churches aren't shutdown, until a confirmed transmission takes place in the church. So it is an extremely unwise practice that some worshippers are still conducting.