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By Kim Se-jeong
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon will host an online summit on responses by world cities to the COVID-19 pandemic from June 1 to 5, inviting city representatives from 40 countries.
"The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that the world is connected. I believe global cooperation and solidarity is the way forward," Mayor Park said. "Also, I will explain S-quarantine at the summit."
S-quarantine ― the S stands for Seoul ― is derived from K-quarantine, a slogan used lately among politicians here Korea to describe Korea's experience in fighting the pandemic.
The Cities Against COVID-19 Global Summit 2020 will have almost 120 speakers, including Jared Diamond, an American historian and anthropologist and the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Gun, Germs and Steel" (1997). He will talk about Seoul's response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the post-COVID-19 world between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. June 4.
Samuel Bowles, an economist and the author of "The Moral Economy: Why Good Incentives Are No Substitute for Good Citizens" (2016), is another prominent participant who will make the case for a moral economy as a solution to climate-related crises at 9 a.m. June 3.
Former U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to urge cities to roll out extensive measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions, which are regarded as a possible contributory factor in the pandemic.
The summit will begin on June 1 with a small promotional event in which foreign residents of Korea talk about Seoul's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 2, a session for city mayors from around the world is due, during which Park is expected to propose a new international organization to facilitate cities' future cooperation in responding to infectious diseases.
On June 3, five separate sessions will convene under topics of climate change, quarantine, education, sharing cities and civil participation.
During the session about quarantine, representatives from Seoul, Los Angeles, Berlin, Sydney, Hokkaido and Beijing are expected to share their experiences of the pandemic. The session will take place between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. June 3.
On June 4, four different sessions are to touch on the pandemic's impact on culture, welfare and public transportation ― the last session will be a discussion between the mayor and Diamond.
On the last day, another four sessions are scheduled on smart city, innovation and sports ― the last session will be an open discussion with Seoul residents.
Seoul and Korea have been bombarded with requests to share their experience in dealing with COVID-19.
Fast COVID-19 testing and walk-through and drive-through test centers were among the most lauded measures by other cities and governments abroad.
On April 9, the city government shared its experience on its website, drawing almost 6 million visitors.
Visit cac2020.or.kr for more information about the summit.
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