Page 92 - 2020 Defence White Paper

128,000 man-days and 17,000 pieces of equipment were deployed to support a series
of operations such as the search for missing people of the ship that was capsized
near the Uiam Dam and the search for lost mines in flooded areas. These activities
contributed to overcoming national disasters and stabilizing the people’s lives.

COVID-19 Response and the National The outbreak of COVID-19, a new
Defense Rapid Support Group infectious disease that broke out in
2019, has resulted in cumulative total
of 34,201 confirmed cases and 526 deaths (as of November 30) after the first infection
case was confirmed in the ROK on January 20, 2020. Five cities and counties in Daegu-
Gyeongbuk region were declared as special disaster zones for the first time in the
country. COVID-19 posed a serious threat to national health and economic activities.
The MND worked closely with the Central Disaster Management Headquarters
to convert military hospitals in Daejeon, Daegu, and Goyang into infectious disease
hospitals and accommodate confirmed civilian patients. In addition, the MND
dispatched medical and operating personnel to more than 100 residential treatment
centers and temporary housing facilities for overseas Koreans and medical and
special quarantine personnel to airport and port quarantine stations. Around 306,000
man-days and 24,000 equipment including decontamination cars were deployed to
acquire and distribute masks and quarantine supplies that were urgently required for
public safety and carry out road and facility quarantine and disinfection activities.
In March 2020, the MND launched the National Defense Rapid Support Group
led by the Director General of Logistics Management Bureau to effectively respond

to support requirements unlike ordinary natural disaster support requirements
which include quarantine and transportation requirements exceeding the scope of
cooperation between the responsible units in the region and local governments on
COVID-19 response and requests for support from central government agencies
such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Food and Drug
Safety. The Defense Rapid Support Group provided various types of support such
as distribution of masks, emergency transport of quarantine supplies, nationwide
quarantine and disinfection, and welfare support for vulnerable groups. Moreover,
the group provided prompt support through dedicated teams for each region
including Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chungcheong-
do area by operating rapid support cooperation officers in cities and provinces which
enabled the group to preemptively confirm the support requirements of the local
governments before they made requests for support. Through these efforts, the group
greatly contributes to the national-level response effort to overcome COVID-19.

90 2020 Defense White Paper