[W Forum] Things Finally Seen Because of 'Corona'

The prolonged outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to widespread social inconvenience and confusion. The list of damages is endless, including expanded losses in imports and exports, decreased air travel and passenger numbers, and a sharp decline in sales for self-employed businesses. Political disputes also do not seem to be flowing in a particularly productive direction for overcoming COVID-19.

However, true to our title as a nation that overcomes crises, we have remained resilient through various national hardships. Not to mention the Korean War and the IMF economic crisis, the very fact that we have maintained our independence amid the interests of great powers is a testament to the strong survival ability of our people. In particular, the government's investment and support for IT since the 1990s have increased productivity and added value across all sectors of the country, elevating South Korea to the status of an 'IT powerhouse.'

This COVID-19 crisis also clearly demonstrates the characteristics of an IT powerhouse. Not only can we access real-time regional and time-based COVID-19 status, but we can also check the movement paths of confirmed cases, self-diagnosis, and self-quarantine anytime and anywhere through apps. The transparency and reliability of information not only strengthen citizens' ability to actively respond to COVID-19 but also alleviate vague anxieties.

Overcoming this COVID-19 crisis does not mean it is over. Experts predict that new viruses will emerge more frequently and more powerfully in the future, and we must establish a constant response system. The most important factors here are 'uninterrupted communication' and 'uninterrupted economic activity.' Physical disconnection from the outside due to the virus causes psychological alienation among citizens. This sense of alienation is more severe for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and single-person households. If this alienation transforms into fear due to unexpected outbreaks or other dramatic situations, abnormal behaviors such as active virus transmission and extreme religious acts may occur, and the social chaos that follows is frightening to even imagine. To prevent physical 'social distancing' from turning into psychological 'alienation,' communication must become a daily routine.

The strongest solution is, of course, IT. As described in Albert Camus's novel The Plague, "the pain and anxiety of citizens when Oran was quarantined due to the plague" should not apply to today's 'intelligent information society.' Current statistics showing peak usage of e-commerce, Netflix, Watcha, and various SNS during the COVID-19 crisis reaffirm the importance of IT. These platform services' contribution to 'uninterrupted communication' during the viral crisis should not be overlooked in national policies.

However, realizing 'uninterrupted economic activity' still seems distant. Despite companies attempting smart work such as telecommuting and remote work for just a few days, complaints about side effects and inconveniences are widespread. Universities attempting non-attendance classes face similar issues. Especially in finance, smart work itself is practically difficult due to network separation. According to current electronic financial supervision regulations, financial companies and electronic financial service providers (fintech companies) must separate the network connected to the internet from the internal computer network used by financial companies. This measure is intended to strengthen security by blocking external intrusions such as hacking.

However, this measure prevents the free use of cloud services and open source, making smart work difficult. More regrettably, there is sharp criticism that network separation is not the best method for security. Recently, the Financial Services Commission allowed exceptions to network separation for financial companies' emergency measures such as telecommuting due to the COVID-19 crisis. Although it is very unfortunate that the network separation issue, which had been dormant due to security reasons, has become active due to the COVID-19 crisis, it is also an opportunity to empirically verify security risks and correct unreasonable regulations. In Oran city in The Plague, there was only a battle against the epidemic, and no expectation of normal economic activity. However, as we proceed with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our methods of coping with viruses must also change for 'uninterrupted economic activity.'

Kim Hyun-kyung, Professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology