the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was confirmed on 20 January 2020, soon after the initial outbreak in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China (PRC). As case counts rose—peaking at 909 new daily confirmed cases on 29 February 2020—the government quickly mounted a rapid and efficient response that supported the country to successfully control the first outbreak within a month of its peak.1 Informed by previous pandemic experience, a crisp strategic direction, and decisive leadership, the ROK bent the curve of infections downward without implementing widespread lockdowns. Despite two spikes in cases since February (in May and August), the country successfully managed to keep the virus under control. As of 24 November 2020, the country had reported 31,353 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 510 deaths.2