There’s no denying that South Korea initially managed to keep a lid on the virus by responding stringently and flexibly when COVID-19 first broke out. Based on aggressive testing, tracing and treatment, the country quickly isolated infected patients and implemented social distancing policies to limit daily infection numbers.

The strategy seemed to work, and as the world applauded the country’s success in flattening the curve, the Moon administration reveled in the attention, dubbing its response “K-Quarantine.” 

However, it was clear by autumn 2020 that the pandemic would stretch on and likely worsen over the colder months. It was also clear