The Stranger and the K-Quarantine: Foreigners and Pandemic Response in South Korea

Abstract

From the early phases of the pandemic, the South Korean response to COVID-19 has garnered widespread international acclaim. This thesis explores the COVID-19 measures that were implemented in Korea throughout the pandemic in its entirety, that is, from the early successes of 2020, up until the radical lifting of mandates in the spring of 2022. This thesis documents and analyzes the state's COVID-19 containment strategy from the specific vantage point of foreigners living in Korea, a minority group that has been problematized in particular ways during global health crises like COVID-19. I draw upon fieldwork conducted in Seoul from 2021 to 2023, which included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and informal conversations. Overall, I suggest that the state's technology-mediated virus mitigation strategy contributed to the production of individuated, disciplined subjectivity. In order to situate the COVID-19 response within larger sociocultural and historical landscapes, I begin by examining how previous health regimes sought to manage and control contagion in Korea, before turning my attention to the pre-emptive quarantine that was mandated for all international arrivals. Subjectivity in the context of COVID-19 is also investigated, by comparing my experiences living in Quebec and Seoul during the pandemic. Finally, I analyze COVID-19 public health messaging, focusing on the dissemination of COVID-19 information through emergency text alerts and government websites, as well as printed posters.