• Date: May 8th, Friday, 2020 13:00-17:00
• This event will be live-streamed via YouTube for the purpose of social distancing, which will be available to view on SNUAC website.

COVID-19, Collective Infection and Asia and Africa’s Responses

• Hosted by SNU COVID-19 Research Network (SNUCRN)
• Organized by SNUAC Northeast Asia Center & Asia Regional Information Center, SNU Institute for Social Development and Policy Research
• Sponsored by KOICA
• Inquiry: Jongseok Yoon (Research Fellow, SNUAC Northeast Asia Center), ama99@snu.ac.kr

SNUAC Northeast Asia Center is holding an online academic conference on “COVID-19, Collective Infection and Asia’s Responses”, jointly with Asia Regional Information Center and SNU Institute for Social Development and Policy Research. This is the third academic event held by SNUAC  regarding COVID-19, hosted by SNUCRN and sponsored by KOICA.

This event will diagnose COVID-19 and collective infection through detailed issues such as vulnerable social groups, labor sites, immigrants and religion, and summarize the Korean experience of the pandemic in session 1. Session 2 will examine the responses of Asian and African countries upon COVID-19, based on cases of China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, West Asia (Iran) and African countries, and survey the proliferation of COVID-19 in developing and rising countries through data. Through current situations and issues of each country, the diagnosis will be especially on the influence of COVID-19 on developing and rising countries and their responses, thus enabling an examination of future possibilities for global governance, cooperation, and comparative research.

SNUAC and SNUCRN plan to hold the fourth academic conference on the global influence of COVID-19 and alternative prospects on May 29th (tentative schedule). Based on the contents of this conference and the research underway, we seek common efforts to build a better world after COVID-19.

<Program>

13:00~13:10
Registration

13:10~13:30
Honglim Ryu (Dean, College of Social Sciences, SNU): Welcome speech
Jaeshin Park (Director, KOICA): Greeting remarks

13:30~15:00
Session 1: COVID-19 and Collective Infection

Moderator: Beomshik Shin (Deputy Director, SNUAC; Dept. of Political Science & International Relations)

Presenters:

1. Yunjeong Joo (Senior Researcher, The Institute for Social Development and Policy Research, SNU): Collective Infection of the Vulnerable Class and Responses of Civil Society
2. Hyunji Kwon (Prof., Dept. of Sociology): Collective Infection and the Labor Site
3. Juyoung Jang(Research Fellow, IOM Migration Research & Training Centre): Immigrants and Collective Infection
4. Haenam Park(HK research Professor, WonKwang Univ. Korean Chinese Relations Institute): Religion and Collective Infection

Discussants: Hongsoo Kim(Professor, Graduate School of Public Health), Jung-Hwa Ha(Professor, Dept. of Social Welfare)

15:00~15:10
Break

15:10~17:00
Session 2: Asia’s Response: Current Situations and Major Issues of Countries 

Moderator: Keun-Sik Jung (Director, SNUAC Northeast Asia Center; Dept. of Sociology)

Presenters:

1. Kilkon Ko (Director, SNUAC Asia Regional Information Center; Prof., Graduate School of Public Administration): Looking at the Process of COVID-19’s Proliferation in Rising Countries through Data
2. Dong Dong (Research Assistant Professor, CUHK): COVID-19 in China and Hong Kong
3. Kyunghee Choi(Research Fellow, SNUAC): COVID-19 in Southeast Asia
4. Gi Yeon Koo(Research Fellow, SNUAC): COVID-19 in West Asia (Iran)
5. Chang Kyoon Yoon (Global Cooperative Doctor, KOICA): COVID-19 in Africa

Discussants: Eunhui Eom (Research Fellow, The Center for Social Sciences in SNU), Jong Nam Park (Researcher, KOICA)

SNUAC Northeast Asia Center held an online academic conference on “COVID-19, Collective Infection and Asia and Africa’s Responses” on May 8th, jointly with Asia Regional Information Center and SNU Institute for Social Development and Policy Research. This is the third academic event held by SNUAC  regarding COVID-19, hosted by SNUCRN and sponsored by KOICA.

Prof. Honglim Ryu (Dean, College of Social Sciences, SNU) commented in the welcome speech that he wishes this multifaceted, multidimensional, complex and global crisis becomes an opportunity for all to create common cooperation and vision through sharing experience and knowledge. Also, Jaeshin Park (Director, KOICA) introduced the responses and efforts of KOICA as a representative Korean agency for development cooperation, and emphasized that rising countries with much damage from the pandemic should seek sustainability of development cooperation and long-term development from the perspective of human rights and mutual partnership.

Session 1 was moderated by Prof. Beomshik Shin (Deputy Director, SNUAC; Dept. of Political Science & International Relations), and consisted of examining detailed issues of COVID-19 and collective infection such as vulnerable groups, labor site, migrants and religion, as well as discussing future responses. Dr. Yunjeong Joo (Senior Researcher, The Institute for Social Development and Policy Research, SNU) emphasized the necessity of conceptualizing and visualizing vulnerable groups, and the need of prevention policy based on human rights and policy feedback system in this situation where social disaster is prolonged, in “Collective Infection of the Vulnerable Class and Responses of Civil Society”. Prof. Hyunji Kwon (Prof., Dept. of Sociology), in her presentation “Collective Infection and the Labor Site”, clarified the situation and conditions of collective infection as predicted through examining call center collective infection and governmental response, and presented a direction for responding to ‘post’-Corona era in terms of government, corporate and laborers. Dr. Juyoung Jang (Research Fellow, IOM Migration Research & Training Centre) examined cases of immigrant collective infection and the current situation to present principles and tasks in policy and institutions for protecting immigrants in her presentation “Immigrants and Collective Infection”. Lastly, Prof. Haenam Park (HK research Professor, WonKwang Univ. Korean Chinese Relations Institute) gave a presentation on “Religion and Collective Infection”, presenting the background of collective infection occurring with the case of Shincheonji, Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. Prof. Hongsoo Kim (Professor, Graduate School of Public Health) talked about the need of institutionalizing social prevention in daily lives, and the task and necessity of social discussion on resource investment for and realization of it. Prof. Jung-Hwa Ha (Professor, Dept. of Social Welfare) raised the necessity of improving the environment that amplifies vulnerability, responding to handle social and economic risks, reflecting the policy and implementing a policy feedback system.

Session 2 was moderated by Prof. Keun-Sik Jung (Director, SNUAC Northeast Asia Center; Dept. of Sociology) and promoted a general understanding of Asia and Africa’s responses through data, as well as a detailed examination of cases in China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, West Asia (Iran), and Africa. Prof. Kilkon Ko (Director, SNUAC Asia Regional Information Center; Graduate School of Public Administration) compared the spread of COVID-19 in developing countries and their responses through data analysis, and raised the necessity of a more in-depth research later on. Prof. Dong Dong (Research Assistant Professor, CUHK) participated through a video presentation on “COVID-19 in China and Hong Kong” to examine cases of China and Hong Kong, and raised the need to discuss the normal, abnormal and new normal in terms of future responses. Dr. Kyunghee Choi (Research Fellow, SNUAC) talked about “COVID-19 in Southeast Asia”, analyzing the response experience of ASEAN through cases from Southeast Asia, and compared the accomplishments and differences of responses in terms of regions. Dr. Gi Yeon Koo (Research Fellow, SNUAC) shared the case of Iran in “COVID-19 in West Asia (Iran)” and provided an in-depth analysis of the reason of spreading, its aspects, social issues and prospects. Dr. Chang Kyoon Yoon (Global Cooperative Doctor, KOICA) participated through a video presentation on “COVID-19 in Africa” to examine the case of COVID-19 in Africa and raised major issues and tasks related to the pandemic as well as the post-Corona era. Dr. Eunhui Eom (Research Fellow, The Center for Social Sciences in SNU) discussed the position of responding to disasters and the possibility, prospects and tasks of international cooperation, while Dr. Jong Nam Park (Researcher, KOICA) presented the importance of social capital in responding to disasters and planning alternatives, based on research over 6 Asian countries on the relationship between social capital and COVID-19, and raised the importance of trust-building and the problem of living from the perspective of international development cooperation.

The third academic conference of SNUCRN discussed collective infection and the responses of Asia and Africa, and focused on the future policy and institutional responses and the tasks of global cooperation and building governance. SNUCRN plans to hold the fourth academic conference on the global impact of COVID-19 and alternative prospects on May 29th, jointly with KOICA. SNUCRN seeks to continue our common efforts to make a better world, through presentations and discussions on the global spread of COVID-19 and responses and alternative prospects on national and international levels.