  There has been vigorous debate on how different countries responded to the
COVID-19 pandemic. To secure public safety, South Korea actively used personal
information at the risk of personal privacy whereas France encouraged voluntary
cooperation at the risk of public safety. In this article, after a brief
comparison of contextual differences with France, we focus on South Korea's
approaches to epidemiological investigations. To evaluate the issues pertaining
to personal privacy and public health, we examine the usage patterns of
original data, de-identification data, and encrypted data. Our specific
proposal discusses the COVID index, which considers collective infection,
outbreak intensity, availability of medical infrastructure, and the death rate.
Finally, we summarize the findings and lessons for future research and the
policy implications.
