The French major daily Le Monde on Sept. 23 said Korea has further developed a noncontact society due to the spread of COVID-19. (Screen capture from Le Monde website)

By Kim Young Deok and Lee Jihae

The French daily Le Monde has hailed Korea for building a "contactless society" amid the spread of COVID-19.

In the article "Building a contactless world amid the coronavirus," the newspaper on Sept. 23 said "working, eating lunch and shopping in one of Asia's largest megacities without getting close to a person during the day" are possible, adding, "In Korea, 'contactless society' is no longer science fiction and has grown even more widespread with the COVID-19 pandemic."

Since early this year, Korea has focused on utilizing its cutting-edge technology to practice social distancing, the report said.

"President Moon Jae-in has made these innovations the focus of his ambitious KRW 76 trillion stimulus package unveiled in June," it added.

The article elaborated on Korea's economic stimulation plan, which will help 160,000 companies build telecommuting systems, install ultra-fast broadband internet at 1,300 farming and fishing villages, provide 240,000 students with tablet PCs and accelerate technological innovations such as self-driving vehicles.

"With its head start in the deployment of 5G, the Land of the Morning Calm dreams of becoming a leader in the 'untact' (noncontact) economy," it said. "Untact" is a term coined in Korea presented as the antonym of the word "contact."

kyd1991@korea.kr