[ Press Release, April 24, 2020 / unofficial translation ]



“K-Quarantine” Model, a Sturdy Shield Against COVID-19, Shared with the World
- K-Quarantine Models, including drive-thru screening clinics and community treatment centers, may be incorporated into the international standard -


□ Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the world is paying attention to Korea’s epidemic prevention system that has successfully controlled the nationwide spread of the virus.

○ So, the governments is pushing forward the international standardization of the “K-Quarantine Model” to share a number of experiences in infectious disease response with the international community and help the world overcome COVID-19.


□ Korea plans to establish a system of the “K-Quarantine Model” composed of the procedures and techniques used across the entire infectious disease response: <①Testing/confirmation → ②Epidemiology/Tracking → ③quarantine/treatment> and propose it to international standardization organizations such as ISO,

○ Korea’s draft standardization model will be recognized as the international standard following in-depth discussions among experts from all around the world.


□ In the proposal for the international standardization, the Korean government plans to present operating procedures for testing at drive-thru/walk-thru screening clinics and the community treatment center operation model, among others, which are actively benchmarked by various countries around the world.

○ In particular, a real-time gene amplification-based diagnostic technique (RT-PCR) for COVID-19, passed a DIS (draft international standard) vote in last February and will soon be established as an international standard in November 2020.

○ A new proposal for drive-thru screening clinic model was already submitted to the ISO on Apr. 7.


□ These international standardization tasks are jointly pushed forward by a consultative group composed of related government departments (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Korean Agency for Technology and Standards; Ministry of Health and Welfare; Ministry of Food and Drug Safety; Korean Intellectual Property Office; etc.), experts who proposed drive-thru/walk-thru screening clinics, and test kit/equipment businesses, among others.

○ The consultative group will play a part in the global expansion of the “K-Quarantine Model” by closely collaborating with the “Epidemic prevention TF for global cooperative response against COVID-19,” led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and joined by all government departments.


□ Particularly, since the International Organization for Standardization (ISO Asia Regional offices) took interest in Korea’s “K-Quarantine Model,” relevant information was shared via a video conference on Apr. 23.

○ Korea had won in the fierce competition in September last year and was named to the Council of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (3-year term), and the success of international standardization of the “K-Quarantine Model” would further demonstrate Korea’s national competitiveness to the world.


□ Seong Yun-mo, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, “The international standardization of the K-Quarantine Model will not only raise our country’s global status, but will also serve as an important opportunity for us to take the lead in the global market of the bioindustry, a future source of growth,” and,

○ “The private and public sectors will join hands and spare no efforts for the recognition of K-Quarantine Model as a global standard".