Page 28 - 2020 Defence White Paper

tests were conducted for those who are subject to preventive isolation under the MND’s own standards,
thereby rapidly identifying coronavirus patients and effectively preventing the spread of the infection
within the military. Furthermore, PCR tests were conducted for all new military personnel in cooperation
with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency from May 2020, testing a total of 160,000 people
by November. Any troops returning home from units deployed overseas were tested with a first PCR test
and isolated for two weeks after their arrival in the country. Afterward, they were tested for a second
PCR test before the isolation measure was lifted so as to prevent the inflow of the virus from overseas.

| Response to Confirmed Cases | Upon recognition of any confirmed cases within a unit, the unit was
required to report to the MND and AFMC, and then file a report with the local health center. The unit was
also restricted from moving any of its troops inside and outside its compound. The AFMC and the
medical units of each service assigned military central epidemiological investigators (contact tracers) and,
depending on each situation, jointly conducted contact-tracing together with the relevant regional health
centers to identify places where the coronavirus patient and those who have come into contact with him/
her have been. Furthermore, those who have come into contact were categorized, and other measures
such as PCR tests, epidemic control, and disinfection were carried out to identify the routes of infection,
thereby precluding additional spread throughout the military and the local community. Coronavirus
patients were admitted to military medical institutions, civilian hospitals, or residential treatment centers,
and the ROK Armed Forces continued to monitor their health conditions until they were discharged and
returned to their units. The MND especially provided vigorous psychological support to relieve depression
and sense of isolation among coronavirus patients due to long-term hospitalization and preventive
isolation, including thorough education for servicemembers to address anxieties and discrimination of
recovered patients.

| Flexible Unit Management | The ROK Armed
Forces controlled leaves, off-installation activities,
and movements of cadres in line with each social
distancing level of the health authorities,
established basic principles of unit management
for staff dinners and private gatherings, religious
activities, and visits to crowded facilities, and
allowed field commanders to implement detailed e-Sports competition of the ROKAF 20th Fighter Wing
(March 2020)
measures at their discretion.
When the first confirmed case arose in the military on February 21, 2020, the MND banned all
servicemembers from taking leave, carrying out off-installation activities, staying out overnight, and
receiving visitors starting from February 22. These were special measures implemented one month
ahead of the reinforced social distancing of health authorities considering the unique nature of the

2020 Defense White Paper