S. Korea seeks to promote its coronavirus-fighting model as global standard

Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

SEOUL — South Korea said on Thursday that it would share its know-how and skills gained in fighting the new coronavirus pandemic with the world and make its disease-control programs international standards.

The country plans to promote the so-called test-trace-treat (3T) model of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and propose related regimes to the International Organization for Standardization, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.

The country will seek to standardize a total of 18 disease-control programs covering all stages in controlling the spread of a virus, from carrying out tests to operating drive-thru clinics and quarantine centers.

South Korea also seeks to set global standards for mobile applications designed to keep track of people under self-quarantine, as well as the immigration process to prevent imported COVID-19 cases.

The country has been touted as one of the most successful countries in containing the spread of the new coronavirus without a draconian lockdown.

South Korea, which has a population of 50 million, has reported around 12,000 COVID-19 cases since Jan. 20. Despite going through ups and downs, daily new infections in the country currently hover around 50.

On the back of such accomplishments, South Korea has been making efforts to penetrate deeper into the global health care industry as a new growth engine, as the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a harsh blow to traditional segments, such as chips and cars.

Outbound shipments of biohealth items shot up 59.4 percent on-year in May to $1.17 billion on the growing popularity of South Korean COVID-19 test kits. In the month, overall exports tumbled nearly 24 percent. Yonhap