Trends in Major Foreign News Reports on Korea's COVID-1919 Epidemiological Investigation Support System

South Korea uses digital contact tracing system to stop spread of COVID-19 virus

2.NEWS18 (2020.04.15.)  

▷ South Korea’s virus prevention strategy is based on a robust epidemiological investigation and testing campaign that is crucial to uncovering the chain of infection. Along with the testing kits and tracking technology already in place, South Korea plans to build a “smart city” database where quarantine violators will agree to wear tracking bracelets. The database is designed to share information about traffic, pollution, and more between cities. Health authorities plan to use the network to identify and isolate cases of the COVID-19 virus. The database will be operated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and will provide epidemiologists with real-time data on patients, including their location, time spent at a particular location, CCTV footage, and credit card transactions. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, which initially prepared the “smart city” plan, the database has reduced the time needed to track a patient’s movements from a day to around 10 minutes.

▷ Smart cities can help us fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and many countries are doing so. Governments and local authorities are using smart city technology, sensors, and data to trace the contacts of people infected with COVID-19. At the same time, smart cities can also help determine whether social distancing is being followed.

▷ Based on big data analysis, Korea has developed a 'COVID-19 Smart Management System'. Lee Ik-jin, head of the Urban Economy Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, who participated in the design of the smart management system, said, "This system has strict security measures such as using virtual networks to prepare for external attacks and automatically recording login information." MOLIT said that the big data management and analysis platform for the epidemic situation is one of the smart city construction projects and provides new ideas for applying big data.

Korea uses IT to track COVID-19, reveals infection routes

 

▷ In 2015, 38 people died in Korea due to the MERS incident. At that time, the government revised the law to find out the path of infection and the number of people in contact with the infection in preparation for the future epidemic. Currently, the government can secure the video of the location of the mobile phone to the infected person ▽ credit card and transportation card usage history ▽ video left on the surveillance camera.

Authorities emphasize personal information protection in big data virus tracker

The best way to track the spread of COVID 19: credit card transactions

 

▷ On Friday, the South Korean government said that the latest tracker, capable of epidemiological investigations in 10 minutes, does not threaten the personal information of COVID19 patients or self-quarantine. The'COVID19 Smart Management System', a virus tracker that utilizes big data and artificial intelligence, allows health investigators to immediately receive analysis of the data and virus population to be investigated, and to identify the expected source of infection. Lee Ik-jin, head of the Urban Economics Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, said on issues related to the balance of public health and personal information, "After MERS in 2015, there is a social agreement that prioritizes public health and safety in Korea." . “There is an African proverb saying,'Go alone to go fast, go together to go far.' If countries around the world are fighting COVID 19, if we can make progress with our technology, I would like to share this technology.” The legal basis and prerequisites take precedence.”