By many accounts, South Korea has been an exemplar of pandemic response, lauded for its effectiveness, rapid and targeted nature. Despite having the second highest number of cases globally in the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea successfully suppressed the disease; this was achieved without restricting movement or imposing long lockdowns. Many reasons are cited for the success of South Korea’s response. These include a tradition of strong central governance, administrative and social characteristics, and prevailing market conditions. This case study considers South Korea’s governance of the pandemic response, in particular the government’s stewardship of the private sector in health. In doing so, we seek to distil behaviours that enabled an effective response, while recognising potential limitations to their portability.