Expats neglected in S Korea's MERS fight
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The South Korean government is facing criticism for failing to pay due attention to the concerns of foreign residents here over the Middle East respiratory syndrome.
Puzzled by baseless rumors about the virus, expats have complained of a dearth of foreign-language information about the MERS-related situation, and how to avoid contact and whom to refer to for any anti-infection support.
Critics argue that the government’s lack of efforts to address expats’ concerns contradicts the government’s mantra of becoming a global, foreigner-friendly Korea, and its diplomatic efforts to promote trust in East Asia on nontraditional security challenges including transnational diseases.
“The (Korean) government hasn’t done anything to help foreigners. I haven’t seen any official English-language material (about MERS),” said Christopher Cashel Cordo from the U.S., an English teacher in Seoul, stressing the only official message he got from Korean authorities was in Korean.
“I think the government, in general, needs a task force or single public figure to offer frequent updates and information about the spread of the virus for the foreign population here,” he added, noting he had “no faith” in the Park Geun-hye administration with respect to his well-being.
As of April, there were over 1.4 million foreign residents registered in Korea.
MERS-related information on the English website of Seoul’s Health Ministry was left largely neglected, while the Korean version of the website was updated minutes after the ministry’s daily briefing at 11am.
Since the first MERS case was confirmed on May 20, the ministry has not posted any information about the virus in English or any other language until May 27.
