Abstract
Governments are being put to the test as they struggle with the fast and wide spread of COVID‐19. This article discusses the compelling challenges posed by the COVID‐19 pandemic by examining how this wicked problem has been managed by the South Korean government with agile‐adaptive, transparent actions to mitigate the sudden surge of COVID‐19. Unlike many western countries, the South Korean government has been able to successfully contain the spread of COVID‐19 without a harsh forced lockdown of the epicenter of the virus. This article argues that an agile‐adaptive approach, a policy of transparency in communicating risk, and citizens’ voluntary cooperation are critical factors. This study also suggests that the South Korean government learned costly lessons from the MERS failure of 2015. This study suggests ways western countries can manage future wicked problems like COVID‐19 without paying too much cost and maintaining quality of life in open and free societies.
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