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The Covid-19 pandemic has presented an extraordinary and unprecedented situation. In their efforts to end the pandemic, countries worldwide followed different approaches to combat the virus. Among these, China emerged as the prime example of an authoritarian model of virus management, whereas South Korea managed to slow down the pandemic with a liberal democratic approach. Although both were successful in pandemic management, China and South Korea have different and contrasting images in the international area. This study analyzes how China's and South Korea's pandemic management models and their international reception differ from each other. It claims that while both models were largely applauded domestically, in the international sphere, China, after early acclaim, ended up with a more negative and controversial image, whereas South Korea created a relatively more positively regarded model. Still, compared to the South Korean model, many more countries emulated and implemented the Chinese model worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]