1. New Society 'Norms'
1.1. The Korean Baseball Organization started their season in May with no fans in attendance
1.1.1. First professional baseball club to start their 2020 season
1.1.2. Ban on spitting
1.1.3. First professional baseball club to start their 2020 season
1.1.4. No highfives/hugs
1.1.5. Cardboard cutout fans have been placed in the stands
1.1.6. A full 144 game season could be played still
1.2. Source: "Everyday Life Quarantine" Guidelines
1.2.1. Businesses and community groups are starting to reopen
1.2.2. Many citizens will work from their homes
1.2.3. Families must stay in their homes
1.2.4. Wearing masks on public transit
1.2.5. Quarantine for 14 days if you have traveled out of country
1.2.6. Restaurants recommended to have customers sit at least 1 meter apart either in a row or diagonally across
1.2.7. Karaoke bars are encouraged use microphone covers
1.2.8. Greeting people with a simple bow instead of handshakes or hugs
2. Educational
2.1. Kindergartens and day cares closed
2.2. University acceptances delayed
2.2.1. Korean standardized tests postponed
2.2.1.1. Suneung/CSAT is required for most Korean Universities
2.3. High school and elementary students move to online learning
2.3.1. Around 170 000 students do not have access to smart devices
2.3.2. 66% of parents agree with the idea of online classes
2.3.3. Internet servers have been very slow
2.3.4. Difficult to verify that students have been attending classes
2.3.5. Programs like KhakaoTalk are being used
2.4. Source: South Korea goes back to school, but classrooms remain empty
3. Population Dynamics (As of 5/11/2020)
3.1. Source: South Korea's Foreign Residents
3.1.1. Over 2.5 million foreign residents at the end of 2019
3.1.2. 6.6% increase in one year
3.1.3. The number of foreign students increased 12.1% from 2018-2019
3.1.4. 43.6 percent of the 2.5 million are of Chinese nationality
3.2. Source: Population of South Korea
3.2.1. Population: 51 269 185
3.2.2. Median Age: 43.7
3.2.3. Urban Population: 81.8%
3.2.4. Population Density: 527 people per square kilometre
3.3. Source: World Map of COVID-19 Cases: ArcGIS Dashboards
3.3.1. 10,909 confirmed cases
3.3.2. 256 deaths
3.3.3. 9,632 people have recovered
4. Supply Shortages
4.1. Food Shortages
4.1.1. Imports of fresh produce rose 2.7% from January-March 2020
4.1.2. Imports of processed foods rose 6.6% from January-March 2020
4.1.3. Source: Korea relies heavily on grain imports
4.1.3.1. Source: Grain production had already been declining in Korea
4.1.3.2. Several countries have restricted the exporting of grain products including Russia, Vietnam and Cambodia
4.2. Source: Mask Shortage
4.2.1. 80% of masks purchased by the government were manufactured in Korea (March 2020)
4.2.1.1. Around 130 manufacturers in Korea
4.2.1.2. KF-94 masks (equivalent to N95)
4.2.1.3. Government shipped masks to over 23,000 Korean pharmacies
4.2.1.4. Government shipped masks for 1500 won each (discounted price)
4.2.2. Pharmacy customers used physical violence and verbal abuse when seeking masks
4.3. Source: Care packages were delivered to all residents by the government
4.3.1. Masks
4.3.2. Disinfectant sprays
4.3.3. Fresh produce
4.3.4. Garbage disposal instructions
4.3.5. A message of hope
5. Religious
5.1. Source: Shincheonji Church of Jesus has been the epicenter for coronavirus cases
5.1.1. 150 000 Shinechonji members in South Korea
5.1.2. Worshipers were forbidden to wear any masks or glasses
5.1.3. In February, more than 1250 members reported symptoms
5.1.4. A Shincheonji church exists in Wuhan, China
5.1.5. The church considers getting sick a sin and members will often attend while ill
5.1.6. Other South Korean churches consider it a cult
5.1.7. Leader Lee Man-Hee eventually orders members to comply with the government
5.2. Churches, Buddhist Temples, Synagogues and Mosques have all been shut down
5.2.1. Some institutions have offered virtual religious services
6. Social
6.1. Source: Government's contact tracing method is seen as a violation of human rights
6.1.1. Some do not agree with the publishing of contact tracing data
6.1.2. Majority of Koreans support the government's contact tracing methods
6.1.3. Government run mobile phone apps
6.1.4. New GPS wristbands were created for quarantine violators
6.1.4.1. Human rights groups argued that this was a violation of privacy
6.1.4.1.1. Wristbands are now only for patients who consent the use of them
6.2. A National Election occurred on April 15 2020
6.2.1. All voters wore masks and gloves
6.2.2. Temperatures of the voters were taken
6.2.2.1. People with a fever were separated
6.2.3. No cases have been traced back to any polling stations
6.2.4. Democratic Party of Korea wins majority government
6.2.5. Moon Jae-In remains the president likely due to how he has handled the pandemic so far
6.3. Source: Even though night clubs have reopened, more than a dozen new cases were linked to Seoul night clubs in early May 2020
6.4. Source: Many PC Bangs (Internet Cafes) are being asked to close after several cases are linked to them
6.4.1. Change in PC Bang use
7. Economic
7.1. South Korea is currently Asia's fourth largest economy
7.2. Long term
7.2.1. Source: South Korea's economy has experienced the largest contraction since the global recession in 2008
7.2.1.1. Shrank 1.4% from January-March 2020
7.2.1.2. Economy is still 1.3% greater than a year ago
7.2.1.3. Consumer spending declined 6.4% from the fourth quarter of 2019
7.2.1.4. Exports declined 2% from the fourth quarter of 2019
7.2.1.5. Trading had decreased by 27% from April 2019 to April 2020
7.2.1.6. The Capital Economics company predicts that the Korean economy will shrink by 6% from the first to second quarter of 2020
7.2.1.6.1. They also predict this will lead to an overall 3% shrink in the economy by the end of this year
7.2.1.7. Economy suffered from trade-wars with Japan in the previous year
7.2.1.8. Domestic product demands are unlikely to recover in 2020s second quarter
7.2.1.9. Even though general investments increased in the first quarter, it is predicted that this will fall because of increasing uncertainty
7.2.2. Businesses starting to open are being advised to hire/designate a "quarantine manager" to assist in following social distancing protocols
7.2.3. Many businesses remain closed (large sums of revenue are being lost)
7.2.3.1. Many businesses remain closed
7.3. Short Term
7.3.1. Government spending
7.3.1.1. The government plans to spend 135 trillion won to protect Korean businesses ($110 Billion USD)
8. Health Care System
8.1. A legal foundation focused contact tracing was created after the MERS outbreak in 2015
8.1.1. Anyone who has been in contact with an infected person is put in quarantine
8.2. In early January, the government urged biotech companies in the private sector to develop testing kits for the potential threat
8.2.1. Within a month, 10 000 tests were done everyday
8.3. Source: The government tracks citizens in order to manage trace infection
8.3.1. Mobile phone data
8.3.1.1. Anyone who might have been in contact with an infected patient receives a mobile phone notification through an app
8.3.2. Credit card history
8.3.3. Surveillance cameras
8.4. Source: Drive thru testing stations
8.4.1. Citizens are asked to turn their car air conditioning to re-circulate to reduce the spread of pathogens
8.4.2. Testing takes about 10 minutes
8.4.3. Results are texted to the patient around 24 hours after
8.4.4. Testing is paid for by the government
8.5. Source: Deargen AI treatment company
8.5.1. Predicts how molecules will bind to proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 virus
8.5.1.1. Source: Antibodies binding to virus particles
8.5.2. Uses simplified chemical sequences as apposed to 3D models
8.5.3. Atazanavir drug and several others were found to bind and block proteins on the virus
8.6. Source: Government has allotted around $100 million USD to purchase medical supplies
8.7. Source: In mid April, Korea had 91 recovered patients who they believed had been reactivated or reinfected by the virus
8.7.1. Source: Recovered patients who tested positive are unlikely to be reinfected
8.7.1.1. Polymerase Chain Reaction method cannot distinguish between "dead" virus fragments and infectious particles DNA or RNA
8.7.1.2. Also thought that there several false positive testings
8.7.1.3. They found that when the virus replicates itself, it does not infiltrate the nucleus
8.7.1.3.1. This means that the re-occurrence of this virus is highly unlikely ("does not cause chronic infection")
9. Positives That May Emerge
9.1. ESPN has inquired about airing KBO baseball games
9.1.1. Around 80% of American's say they would watch them if they were aired in the U.S.
9.1.2. Watching would allow new fans to learn about a new baseball league
9.2. Korean citizens gain confidence in their government after their effective battle with the virus
9.3. Families are now spending more time together in quarantine
9.4. Source: Esports tournaments move online
9.5. Source: Air pollution in Korea has significantly decreased
9.5.1. 54% decrease in PM2.5 levels (a harmful pollutant)