Pandemics Epidemiology: To What Extent has South Korea’s Cultural Prioritization of Educational Success Contributed to the Relative Success of Its COVID-19 Outbreak Response?

POSS Team: TIS Owls (Uzbekistan)

Synopsis: How could a country that, less than a century ago, was resource-poor and relied on an agrarian economy, emerge at the top today as the nation with one of the most efficient and innovative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic? Through the examination of South Korea’s COVID-19 response, this paper will demonstrate the far-fetching, seemingly invisible at first glance, implications and benefits of a country placing a high emphasis on achieving a highly educated population: both through policy decisions and cultural valuation. Our findings are
especially relevant for today’s rapidly developing technological world, where the risk of paradigm-shifting events requiring quick, intelligent responses is increasing expeditiously.

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