By Kim Minji

Korea's response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to get kudos from abroad.

Historian Yuval Harari, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and author of the bestseller "Sapiens," on March 20 contributed an article titled "The World after Coronavirus" to the Financial Times of the U.K. saying, "In recent weeks, some of the most successful efforts to contain the coronavirus epidemic were orchestrated by South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore."

"While these countries have made some use of tracking applications, they have relied far more on extensive testing, on honest reporting, and on the willing cooperation of a well-informed public."

"Will we travel down the route of disunity, or will we adopt the path of global solidarity?" he added. "If we choose global solidarity, it will be a victory not only against the coronavirus, but against all future epidemics and crises that might assail humankind in the 21st century."

In the article "Italy Considers Adopting South Korean Model For Coronavirus Containment," Forbes magazine of the U.S. on March 21 said, "The model is South Korea, which was able to successfully limit the spreading of the contagion (and above all, the deaths) by extensive testing of citizens and by publicly sharing detailed information on the movements of those infected."

"As far as technology is concerned, Italy has all the necessary tools and skills needed to implement the new strategy," it said, adding, "Emergency legislation derogating to the general rule of processing only anonymous data is possible only under the condition that it constitutes a necessary, appropriate and proportionate measure within a democratic society."

Bloomberg of the U.S. also gave major coverage to the preemptive measures against the outbreak taken by the Central Epidemic Control Countermeasure Headquarters under the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

In the article "The Virus Hunter Showing the World How to Fight an Epidemic," the business news service said, "The deal was brokered, in part, by Jung Eun-Kyeong, the head of the KCDC, whose management of the response has made her something of a national hero, and a potential role model for virus-fighters elsewhere."

Bloomberg added that Korea could provide the playbook for responding to the outbreak, mentioning Jung's twice-a-day briefings, the sending of alerts on the travel histories of confirmed cases via smartphones and massive testing conducted through innovative means like a drive-through screening clinic.

kimmj7725@korea.kr