Discussion
On March 23, 2021, the 249th Japanese Expert Invitation Seminar was held at Webinar. 20 participants participated in the presentation by Mr. Choi Ga-young, a full-time lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law, Komazawa University, on the theme of "Evolution of Covid-19 Related Laws/Institutions : Korea and Japan".
The presenter said that South Korea did not blockade the city and restricted entry in response to Covid-19, and that Japan restricted entry unlike South Korea, and the difference between Japan and South Korea's response focusing on these two. She tried to find out the reason why it started by the evolution of related laws / systems and the policy choices of the government.
First, in South Korea, related laws / systems have evolved after SARS in 2003, H1N1 in 2009, and MERS in 2015. Although there was no legal system that could respond to the crisis of infectious diseases when responding to suspension, but they had an opportunity to build an infectious disease management system through the enactment of the Basic Law for Disaster and Safety Management and the revision of the Infectious Disease Prevention Law and the Quarantine Law. At the time of dealing with the H1N1, there were problems due to the limitations of the Infectious Disease Prevention Law and the serious delay in the government's installation, but through changes such as strengthening the Quarantine Law and amending the Infectious Disease Prevention Law to prevent infectious diseases. The legal system has evolved.
When responding to MERS, it was not possible to set up the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Central Collection Countermeasures Headquarters due to a manual problem that determines the crisis warning level, and the problem of delay in information disclosure was shown, but in order to grasp the active disclosure of safety-related information. The Safety Law was enacted, and the Infectious Disease Prevention Law was revised to enable compulsory investigations and medical examinations. The evolution of related laws / systems formed after the crisis of infectious diseases as described above has led to the establishment of a response headquarters for Corona 19 response, transparent information disclosure, active inspection and quarantine measures, and in the case of South Korea, the border with the city. I was able to respond well to the Corona 19 crisis without blocking it.
The fact that Japan has closed its borders can also be grasped in the evolution of laws and institutions. Japan, which was not affected by SARS and MERS but was extensively damaged by the H1N1, declared a state of emergency, minimized restrictions on human rights, set up a response headquarters, and influx of pathogens in Japan. Japan have enacted the "Act on Special Measures for New Influenza". This law was also the basis for Japan's COVID-19 response. In particular, in that the authority to deal with infectious diseases is not the prime minister or the cabinet but the prefectural governor under the Special Measures Law, it can be seen that the Corona 19 response has led to the strengthening of local autonomy. However, the presenter does not have the correct method for Covid-19 correspondence, and it depends on the circumstances of each country, so learning including the evolution of related laws / systems after the crisis of both Korea and Japan The announcement was completed with the conclusion that it was being done.
After the presentation, the question and answer session continued. Unlike South Korea, what is the evaluation of Japanese people who respond to Corona led by local governments, what is the attitude of the Japanese government to convey information related to Covid-19, and the so-called leadership nation in responding to Covid-19 instantly. Discussions were held on inquiries such as whether Korea, which is a follow-up country, or Japan, which is a follow-up country, is more efficient, and the difference in perception between Korea and Japan to protect personal information used in the response process.
