We are pleased to announce that JISEAS has published the first volume of its academic book series: Southeast Asia against COVID-19.

JISEAS has published a total of seven COVID-19-related issue papers on its website since April 2020, following its first issue paper, "Southeast Asia's Response to COVID-19: Temporary Implications of the Initial Response Process."

JISEAS also has been collaborating with researchers specialized in infectious diseases and health issues in Southeast Asian Studies by establishing the JISEAS Corona Response Forum.

The JISEAS Forum has contributed to Southeast Asian Studies in Korea in various ways as it presented research outcomes at academic conferences and organized a special feature, "Southeast Asian Studies," for the Korean Journal of Southeast Asian Studies.

This book is the result of all the activities that the JISEAS Corona Response Forum has been conducting. The book is organized as follow. The first part of this book provides a comparative analysis on the Southeast Asian countries' initial response to the COVID-19.

The second part provides in-depth case studies on the Southeast Asian countries' responses to the pandemic and their policy developments overtime in dealing with the COVID-19. Finally, the third part of this book provides examples of transnational cooperation in Southeast Asia and suggests future policy agendas for the region.

When the JISEAS Forum started writing the book, in summer 2020, it was possible to categorize the eleven Southeast Asian countries as 'the good', 'the bad', and 'the mysterious' groups, concerning their responses to COVID-19.

This book, thus, carefully selected Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar for case studies to analyze and explain Southeast Asian countries different responses to the global health crisis. It is safe to argue that the initial responses of those Southeast Asian countries to COVID-19 were quite effective collectively.

The current situations of Southeast Asian countries are, however, very different from when the JISEAS Forum planned the book - due to the outbreak of the delta mutant virus, vaccine rollout, and even a coup in Myanmar. Nonetheless, it is still worth recording and recognizing the trajectory of the initial response of Southeast Asian countries to COVID-19, the unprecedented global crisis.

 It is also possible to argue that the initial response of Southeast Asian countries to COVID-19 became an important milestone in the modern history of Southeast Asia, and their experiences will further guide and help them to prepare for the future global health crisis that is likely to recur in the near future.

 * JISEAS offers the pdf version of this book online for free to help increase public awareness of the Southeast Asian region. Please find the attached e-book to learn more about the project.