[CARD NEWS: Opinion] Welcome to Korea, where no Chinese people exist
1) ‘South Korea, Safe, Clean, Calm, No Chinese’
The post above, which stressed that no Chinese exist in South Korea, went viral online after it was uploaded on March 7.
2) “Some Lotte Marts in China forced to shut down”
“Regulation on Korean programs aired in China”
“Ban on sightseeing in Korea”
The Chinese government’s regulations on Korea expanded into sports, as they blocked a cheering squad for the Korean football team from entering China.
3) The authority’s continuous economic retaliations are tactics to strong-arm South Korea over the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) antimissile system.
4) The post that gained a heated response online was a fake commercial made by an internet user to mock the China’s strategy.
5) “The tourism business might shed tears over the current circumstances.”
While some people online found the post clever, others expressed their concerns about the negative impact it might have on the tourism industry.
6) The Korean tourism industry has been shattered since China’s retaliation began. The Chinese government’s conduct shows no difference from its high-handed attitude from the feudal days, when they considered Korea to be a tributary state.
7) The damage hit Jeju Island, where 80 percent of foreign tourists were Chinese, particularly hard.
8) It is not the first time that the Chinese government has resorted to this economic strategy, as they exerted such pressure on Japan and Taiwan before.
9) In 2012, Beijing levied a similar retaliation on Japan because of a territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islets. Their strategies included boycotting cars produced by Japanese companies and banning Chinese tourists from visiting Japan.
10) Last year, they also banned their citizens from visiting Taiwan, when the pro-unification Kuomintang Party lost the presidential election.
11) Less than two years after the Chinese government began its economic retaliation, however, Japan and Taiwan overcame their difficulties.
12) The Japanese government spread or relocated the companies and factories based in China to Southeast Asia. The Taiwanese authorities turned to drawing foreign tourists rather than mainland Chinese.
13) Japan transformed the economic crisis into an opportunity.
Last year, Taiwan also recorded a record-high number of tourists.
14) South Korea is in a crisis at this moment. However, the crisis also be used as an opportunity to bolster our competitiveness in industry and tourism.
15) “Come to South Korea, where no Chinese exist.”
This phrase was just a sarcastic joke about the current situation.
Despite its intention, people’s responses have been serious.
These responses show that many Koreans consider China’s economic retaliation to be an opportunity to overhaul our economic system.
Directed by Lee Jeong-bong
Constructed by Kim Min-pyo
Designed by Bae Seok-young
Translated by Son Min-young
Edited by James Constant
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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