The Chonnam Tribune asked students for their opinions on the various topics of social, political and human issues. – Ed.
Coronavirus Outbreak and Chinese Phobia
Kim Ji-yeon (Senior, Dept. of Political Science and International Relations)
As the novel coronavirus that broke out in Wuhan in China has spread in Korea, people's perception of China or Chinese people turned negative. I saw a Chinese family on the subway and subway riders were avoiding them even though they were wearing masks. It is a preventive behavior, but such an unconditional negative attitude towards people from a certain nation only results in ethnic discrimination that does not help in stopping the spread of COVID-19. To overcome the situation, I think, rather than avoiding contact with Chinese people due to groundless rumors, personal preventive efforts such as wearing masks and washing hands frequently are needed.
By Park Min-ji, Student Editor
박민지 기자
yudminji@naver.com