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Gayoung Imm, Impact Fellow at Salzburg Global Seminar, reflects on South Korean public health expert's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The Impact Fellowship with Salzburg Global Seminar's health program not only has been a wonderful experience for me to grow professionally to become a global leader in the future, but it has also been a valuable time for me to think about what good leaders should look like. Among lots of important qualifications that leaders must be equipped with, I think that great leaders must be able to make the public voluntarily follow them. We can see how important it is by looking at how South Korean leader, Eun-Kyeong Jung successfully managed the COVID-19 crisis.
Cooperation at the societal level is essential to overcome the international health crisis COVID-19, given its infectious nature and the detrimental effects on public lives. At the beginning of the breakout, we have witnessed many societies that failed to manage the situation because of the distrust, mis- and disinformation around the virus. However, looking at various countries around the world with high rates of vaccination take up, such as Denmark, Korea and Portugal, trust in leaders managing the health crisis has been key to successfully beating the epidemics.
Eun-Kyeong Jung, the Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), was applauded for her leadership in managing the COVID-19 pandemic situation worldwide. Thanks to her, South Korea's response to the pandemic at the beginning of the breakout has become a global example. The Wall Street Journal described Commissioner Jung as “a national hero”, with emphasis on her leadership style of “straight talk, informed analysis and stoical calm." Further, she was selected as one of the 100 most influential people in 2020 by Time and 100 Women 2020 by BBC.
What can the world learn from Commissioner Jung's leadership? What made the world pay attention to her leadership during COVID-19? And furthermore, what should good leadership look like in a national health crisis?
1) Evidence-based decision making
As head of the KDCA, Commissioner Jung sees managing infectious diseases based on scientific evidence and expertise as philosophy and organizational mandate. As the infodemics evolved and the leading opposition party utilized the situation for political purposes, she was not swayed by the political scheme. Instead, she calmed the dispute by sharing existing evidence at the daily national briefing.
It is well-known that Commissioner Jung writes down as much information as possible during the regular national reporting on her personal notebooks. She was often seen reviewing her notebook before the new report or public briefing. Her close staff said that whenever her team members mistakenly reported incorrect information to her, she would set the record straight right away. With this high emphasis on details and accuracy, she managed to reduce mistakes when making important decisions.
2) Direct and candid communication
Commissioner Jung does not pretend to know everything. As her first priority is national safety, she candidly admitted that when she did not have a clear answer. With evidence in her personal notebook, she was able to answer spontaneous questions from the reporters. However, when she didn't have an answer to the question, she was often clear about this rather than giving an evasive answer. In this situation, she took the substantial personal initiative, not only to understand the facts but to quickly follow up with reporters after the briefing by text message as information became available.
At the height of the panic, Commissioner Jung’s message came not only with volumes of health guidance, but it was also a source of courage. Confidently reassuring the nation, she emphasized that “the virus will not overtake Korea” at the national briefing. As it is well-known that she rarely says empty words, the public felt her confidence and started to trust her. She took charge of every single national briefing since the breakout of COVID-19. Not only as the head of KDCA but also as a national renowned expert in the field, she communicated directly and candidly on the subject.
3) Solidarity in leadership
One of Commissioner Jung's close staff members said, “People don't want to leave her. She knows the most, makes clear decisions, is always patient, and never gets angry. She is just the best boss.” By building strong solidarity in leadership, she makes her staff voluntarily devote themselves to the organizational mission.
One well-known anecdote shows how Commissioner Jung treats her staff. When she was a manager of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, her staff member was censured for improperly managing MERS, Middle East respiratory syndrome. Whenever that team member was at a loss for words, Commissioner Jung interrupted and protected her from the blame.
As a leader, Commissioner Jung willingly takes responsibility and always tries to protect her staff from difficult, unfair situations. There was no doubt that her staff does not want to leave her and this becomes a powerful advantage for the organization to do their work in a safe environment.
To maintain national health and well-being, public authorities must acquire wide support from the public. Even if the guidance and regulations are perfectly designed by public bodies, it is of no use when only a few people proactively follow them. Then how can leaders mobilize the public? Building trust can be the answer. When people are certain that public authorities will successfully handle the situation, they will willingly cooperate to keep their own health.
Eun-Kyeong Jung succeeded in gaining trust, which led to the success of her leadership. With evidence-based decision-making and candid communication, she fostered trust with the public. Furthermore, due to the solidarity and attitude towards upholding accountability, she was able to acquire trust from political leaders. Thanks to this, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was elevated to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It was of no surprise when she was appointed as the first Commissioner of this new organization. With greater authority and accountability, she became able to mobilize citizens more proactively.