South Korea has been praised for its quick response to the coronavirus outbreak. It owes its success mainly to the "test, trace and treat method". Our correspondent Joseph Kim explains what other countries can learn from South Korea's approach.

Once an epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea is now seeing less than 30 new cases a day.

Part of the reason? Aggressive testing and transparency.

The response has been so effective that it's becoming a model for containing the disease across the globe.

JAMES CHONG CTO, GenBody Inc. "Korea has good scientific technology, already, like genetic engineering and hybrid technology. So this is one of the reasons why we so quickly developed the COVID-19 diagnostic kit."

But it's also been about taking fast action. Even before South Korea confirmed its first COVID-19 case, healthcare providers and small- and medium-sized companies were making preparations.

In less than a month, South Korean biotech companies rolled out a test for the new coronavirus and the government fast-tracked approval of the kits.

500,000 people have since been tested for the disease, which is per million, the best test rate in the world.

James Chong leads one of the many biotech firms making COVID-19 diagnostic test kits.

JAMES CHONG CTO, GenBody Inc. "We didn't want to put our energy into making another PCR test but focus on making a serological test since that's what we specialize in. Also, if you combine serological tests and PCR tests, the combination increases the accuracy of the diagnosis and studies have shown this to be true."

PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction and it's the test South Korea has more heavily relied on because it's better for fast detection.

But there's currently no perfect test.

Though GenBody was late to the game, coming out with tests in late March, serological test makers are filling some of the holes of PCR tests and are helping to provide a better picture.

There's now huge global demand for high quality diagnostic kits, and South Korea is answering the call.

JOSEPH KIM Seoul "Out of this factory alone, hundreds of thousands of coronavirus tests have been exported abroad weekly as South Korea is receiving global recognition for its diagnostic capabilities. Through massive testing South Korea has been able to flatten its coronavirus curve, and as a result, over a hundred countries have enquired importing South Korean-made tests or receiving them as part of humanitarian aid."

GenBody says the company is currently exporting its tests to some 50 countries. In the month of March, 27 South Korean firms including GenBody exported about $48.6 million dollars' worth of kits.

South Korea's tests and response, however, is also saying something deeper about South Korean society.

DANIEL BONG Professor, Yonsei University "You cannot regard South Korea as a young democracy, still, in the shadow of the past military authoritarianism. But the civil society is strong enough to effectively join hands with the still very strong government in order to cope with a crisis like the corona-pandemic."

Despite the strong response so far, South Korean authorities say the outbreak is far from over. But to solve the problem, identifying it is key. And for the new coronavirus, South Korean tests might be one of the keys to stopping the spread of this disease.