Opinion | South Korea’s success in containing the coronavirus highlights importance of digital resilience

One of the first countries to register a Covid-19 outbreak, South Korea, flattened the curve in stunning fashion. It registered over 22,000 cases, yet fewer than 400 deaths at the time of writing. That it reduced infections while avoiding major loss of life and without closing businesses or forcing everyone to stay at home is even more remarkable. That its gross domestic product contraction is expected to be less than 0.8 per cent (compared to the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development average of around 7.5 per cent) is breathtaking.

Among the many factors contributing to the country’s success are the ways public officials, scientists and citizens collaborated to detect, contain and treat vulnerable people. Testing and health care capacities were rapidly boosted, including in hotspots like Daegu. But the secret to South Korea’s success might also reside in its digital capabilities.

Around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating transformation, including in the digital sphere. Virtually everywhere, it is speeding up political, social, economic and technological changes that were already under way. It is changing our basic daily routines –how we shop, where we work, how we access information, and even the way we move around the city.

With our movements more restricted, we source almost everything – food, clothes, films and music – online. Not surprisingly, technology behemoths that supply these goods, such as Amazon, Apple, Alibaba, Facebook, Google and WeChat, are experiencing soaring profits. Companies from Microsoft to Zoom are booming, and video streaming services are quickly displacing cinemas and theatres.