Abstract
In this chapter, I aim to problematize an assumption that supports the success story of the K-quarantine model. The plot of this story is leaning towards the positive role of technocrats, scientists, and technology in fighting against COVID-19 by focusing on the activities of the KDCA (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) and appealing technological solutions. In this narrative, Korean society looks like a sterilized giant laboratory stuffed with scientists’ scientific rationality and well-organized research plans, which downplays another dimension that the government’s selection of policies is a politically and socially contested process - rather than a decision based on pure expert knowledge apart from society - that continues interactions with civil society and social actors situated in a specific spatio-temporal matrix. By paraphrasing the concept of spatial fix, I suggest that the Korean government’s social distancing level 2.5 measure should be seen as the imposition of another form of spatio-temporal fix. Consequently, I highlight the necessity of a more multi-scalar and multi-temporal approach to analyzing COVID-19 landscapes, rather than simply fixating on the “success story” from a singular and snapshot perspective close to the government’s position, which eventually opens up opportunities for more fundamental questions about society.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Living with Pandemics |
Subtitle of host publication | Places, People and Policy |
Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. |
Pages | 91-102 |
Number of pages | 12 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781800373594 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781800373587 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jan 2021 |