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What Did the Korean Military Forces Do under the COVID-19 Pandemic?

  • Korea and Global Affairs
  • Abbr : KGA
  • 2021, 5(5), pp.89-124
  • DOI : 10.22718/kga.2021.5.5.004
  • Publisher : Korea Institute of Politics and Society
  • Research Area : Interdisciplinary Studies > Interdisciplinary Research
  • Received : September 15, 2021
  • Accepted : October 14, 2021
  • Published : October 31, 2021

Choi, Jungjoon 1

1국방부군사편찬연구소

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 incident caused a new change in the traditional military threat perception and role. Under the COVID-19 Pandemic, the military operated a Defense Rapid Support Group, supplemented private medical gaps, medical support for returning Koreans, quarantine activities for airports and ports, vaccines, relief supplies and medical supplies. Through these response activities, the public's confidence in the military was increased, and Korea's quarantine system emerged as an international standard, raising the status of the country. Based on the response activities of COVID-19, measures to respond to non-traditional threats such as new infectious diseases in the Korean military are as follows. First, from a military perspective, establishing an operational plan and revising action guidelines for new threats, and expanding the duties and roles of the Defense Rapid Support Group. Second, in terms of public support, it is necessary to maintain a civil, government, military, and police cooperation system, set up and package military medical institutions and facilities, and master countermeasures through mutual information exchange and joint training Above all, the starting point for the military to respond timely to non-traditional threats such as COVID-19 is a change in basic perception of threats, that is, a paradigm shift. It is time to break away from traditional threat-oriented thinking and take an open attitude to prepare for new threats.

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