Critical approaches to the Korean government’s social distancing measures as controversial responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has caused a health-care emergency, which requires the urgent distribution of effective, affordable and well-timed care to the public. In dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, some government responses have been more effective in terms of preventing, suppressing and reducing the virus than others. South Korea has regarded as a model for preventing the widespread of the COVID-19 pandemic effectively. South Korea has compressed the sudden increase of the disease by integrating testing, early isolation, the free treatment of infected cases, and also the search for possible infected cases through digital technologies without taking to lockdown measures. The most impressive preventive measure has been social distancing that has effectively mitigated the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. However, though the Korean government’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and preventive measures, such as social distancing, have seemingly been very effective, they have affected differently among demographic groups in Korea economically as well as socially. The study attempts to illustrate the Korean government’s preventive responses and measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in terms of social distancing rules and guidelines. It considers not only those governmental actions, but also their effects on demographic groups in Korea.