Light and Shadow of Technological Fix in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Centered on “Itaewon Corona Crisis”

Abstract

May 2020 marked the emergence of the so-called “Itaewon Corona Crisis”. The Korean government and local municipalities pursued a quick and drastic response, and “the COVID-19 epidemiological investigation support system” became the center of COVID-19 crisis governance in Korea. This has led to a debate over whether to prioritize community safety or privacy and human rights protection. This essay focuses on not only the social expansion of the surveillance system, but also the need to explore how dependent Korean society is on a ‘technological fix’ and what we gain and lose from it. Through the case of the “Itaewon Corona Crisis”, we attempt to answer the question of why citizens easily accept surveillance technology in crisis and why surveillance systems are rapidly spreading in society. As for the former, concepts such as technological fix and risk perception are analyzed, and as for the latter, the role and performance of “the COVID-19 epidemiological investigation support system” as a surveillance system are highlighted.