By Honorary Reporter Sasha Syaifani from Indonesia

(Korea.net DB)

Government action for containing the coronavirus is a hot topic amid the pandemic. Korea has received a lot of attention for its flattening of the curve through a policy of openness, transparency and democracy. This approach has also been adopted by several other countries.

Yet the government isn't the only thing driving Korea's containment of COVID-19. Civil society also deserves credit.

According to the 2007 Civil Society Report by the World Health Organization, civil society is determined by collective action and shared interests, purposes and values. The report added that civil society seeks to transform the communities and structure of a society as a whole. Based on this notion, civil society clearly has the power to change public perspective of something and thus could bring change.

(Screen capture from Korea Foundation's YouTube channel)

During an online dialogue on June 2 between the Korea Foundation and Foreign Policy Community Indonesia on the topic "Democracy in the Time of COVID-19," Kim Eui-young, a professor of international politics at Seoul National University, spoke about how civil society has driven Korea's success in tackling the coronavirus. He said the strategy of the 3Ts -- test, trace and treat -- has worked but emphasized the critical role of civil society for raising awareness of the pandemic and eliciting voluntary cooperation of the people.

Kim’s statement is reflected in a piece by bestselling author Yuval Harari posted in the U.K. daily Financial Times. In his article, he said the people's compliance with government guidelines is needed to stop the epidemic, adding that "a self-motivated and well-informed population is far more powerful and effective than a policed, ignorant population." This statement basically says that no matter how the government tries to tackle the coronavirus, success is not possible without public compliance.

In Korea, its people are doing their best to be part of the solution, from wearing protective masks when going outside to practicing social distancing. The country has also done many things to raise public awareness of the pandemic as seen in movements with the hashtags #OvercomeTogether and #StayStrongCampaign, and even a "thank you" challenge that celebrities have participated in.

The aforementioned gestures might seem small, but are important for raising awareness in society. Kim also said people with civic capacity can voluntarily cooperate with government policy for better implementation. Thus to beat the coronavirus, every element of society, be it the government or the people, needs to team up.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.