(Photo Credit: Think Global Health)
Since January when China released the genetic sequence of the coronavirus (COVID-19), controversy has arisen in response to the South Korean government’s efforts to cope with the pandemic. While the opposition parties claim that the current government is not effectively dealing with the outbreak of this virus, the foreign press has complimented President Moon for his outstanding crisis management. Different arguments also segregate the people of Korea. Some propose that the Korean government is failing to stop the spread of Coronavirus, while others contend that the Korean government is a great example of success in dealing with a pandemic. These incompatible ideas formulate based mostly on the issue of prohibiting China from entry to Korea.
It is predicted that Coronavirus was initially found in the city of Wuhan, China. Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that 41 countries prohibited entry from China and seven countries blocked China partially, meaning that they banned entry from a few provinces of China. In the early period of the health crisis, this measurement seems effective in retarding the spreading of the virus. Indeed, Australia and Vietnam which banned the entry of Chinese showed the low rate of the confirmed cases in February.
Yet, there are concerns about the downsides of blocking China, especially in terms of the national economy. As the Trump administration announced, the travel restriction, stock markets, and industries relying on the two countries came to tremble. Even the S&P 500, a stock market index, saw its worst loss since the Great Depression. On the one hand, it seems complicated for the Korean government to ban the influx of Chinese. According to the Korea Customs Service, China is the second large country among the trade partners of Korea to have a trade surplus, amount to about $290, from 2009 to 2018.
In the middle of the U.S. facing an economic crisis due to sealing its borders, the Moon administration in South Korea has chosen a different path with special entry procedures for people entering from China. There are exclusive ports of entry, where employees check entrants for fever and sterilize them. The South Korean government, in line with calls from the World Health Organization’s plea, has adopted a diplomatic approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Building international solidarity instead of political blockades has shown to be effective, with only 11 Chinese patients out of 1,595 by the end of February. Moving forward, it is critical to be optimistic, but keep an eye on the government to protect the health of everyone.
Written by Yeonseo Shim | Staff Writer
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