[Infectious Disease Life Vaccine⑤] The Remote Era Triggered by Corona

'Social Distancing' Expansion
Remote Classes, Medical Care, Work... Catalyst for New Industries
Lack of Various Institutional Foundations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Kwan-joo] Infectious diseases have changed the course of human history. The plague that spread in the 14th century claimed nearly 100 million lives, bringing an end to the feudalism based on tenant farmers in Europe and acting as a catalyst for the development of commerce and industry. Smallpox, measles, and tuberculosis became the deadliest weapons for European powers conquering the New World. The population of the New World was helplessly devastated by new diseases brought from Europe, and Europe accelerated the Industrial Revolution based on the abundant resources such as gold and silver exploited from the New World, leading to the flourishing of capitalism. The Spanish flu that spread in Europe during World War I became an opportunity for the United States to rise as a global economic power.

The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is no different. It is becoming a catalyst that accelerates the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a convergence of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). From the 9th, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide began an unprecedented online school opening. Students meet teachers and attend classes through smartphone applications or social network services (SNS) at home instead of classrooms. The era of non-face-to-face remote education has fully opened even in public education.

However, the reality is a series of trial and error. Due to the extremely short preparation period for remote classes, there is no unified online class system, causing ongoing confusion in conducting remote classes at each school. Even the remote class demonstration event by the Minister of Education experienced 'buffering' issues, indicating system instability. Online lectures at universities, which started last month, have also faced frequent server failures, leading to significant student dissatisfaction. Although online learning such as 'Ingang' (internet lectures) and YouTube live broadcasts have already become commonplace in the private sector, and interactive communication channels are widespread, the public sector has been passive in utilizing these technologies.

The 'telemedicine' that had not been promoted for over 20 years due to opposition from the medical community has also entered a new phase after COVID-19. Since the government temporarily allowed telemedicine from the end of February, patients can receive medical consultations and prescriptions without visiting hospitals directly. Currently, platforms developed by private startups are being used. However, discussions on building infrastructure to bring telemedicine into the public sector are expected to begin in the future.

Social distancing has become the foundation of quarantine measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Non-face-to-face activities, as part of this, have been recognized for their effectiveness in preventing the spread of new infectious diseases. Experiences of non-face-to-face activities in various fields of society are highly likely to completely change the lifestyle standards of our society. Kwon Hyuk-min, head of the Industrial Strategy Team at the Federation of Korean Industries, said, "Korea, which has strengths in online infrastructure, is in a favorable position to lead in new industrial fields," adding, "For this, various institutional foundations must be prepared simultaneously."