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| A man wearing a face mask walks past the Catholic Times headquarters in Seoul on Sunday. The newspaper shut down its headquarters and Daegu regional office as some staff, who returned to Korea after a group tour to Israel to visit holy sites, were infected with the coronavirus. / Yonhap |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Actress Lee Young-ae is being lauded in China for her comforting message to the virus-hit country, but some fellow Koreans are raising their eyebrows at the celebrity's actions.
A video featuring actress Lee has gone viral on the internet in China. In the video produced by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, Lee conveyed her heart-felt message in an effort to boost the morale of the Chinese public who are now in the midst of a deadly fight for life due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"Hello. I am Lee Young-ae who played Dae Jang Geum in the Korean TV series (of the same name)," she said in her message to the Chinese public.
Dae Jang Geum, better known by its English title "Jewel in the Palace," is a 2003 mega hit TV series. It initially aired on MBC and was then exported to many countries, including China and Iran. The drama, which tells the dramatic rise of a girl (played by Lee) with a humble beginning to become the King's first female physician, was hugely popular among Chinese viewers, creating a "Lee Young-ae phenomenon" there.
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| This capture shows actress Lee Young-ae delivers her heart-felt message to boost the morale of the virus-hit Chinese public in a video made by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. / Yonhap |
"I am here to cheer up the Chinese public who have been going through pain after the Wuhan pneumonia," she said in Korean. The video has Chinese subtitles. "I know you, the Chinese people, are doing your best to overcome the virus. As you know, people in the drama overcame the epidemic. I believe Chinese people will do so, too… My best wishes and regards to Chinese doctors and health workers as well as the Chinese public who are striving hard to overcome the epidemic. As the closest friends to China, we Koreans want to give a helping hand to our friends and neighbors."
Xing Haiming, Chinese ambassador to South Korea, appeared near the end of the video.
"We Chinese will never forget our Korean friends' warm hearts for sending us firewood to stay warm during snowy winter days," he said in Chinese.
In the last scene, actress Lee and the Chinese envoy together chanted, "Cheer up, Wuhan!. Cheer up, China!"
The video has been popular, according to Chinese media reports. On Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, hash tagged social media posts "Dae Jang Geum chants, Cheer up, Wuhan!" has over 37 million views and Chinese internet users expressed their gratitude for the Korean actress' message.
While she was praised in China for her compassionate message, the video was met with a cynical reaction from Koreans.
Some internet users alleged the Korean actress was used by the Chinese government in the latter's propaganda effort.
"I wonder what her motives are with the video… I hope she can understand what's going on in her home country, before she starts worrying about the Chinese people," one wrote. "I am not blaming her for her endeavor to lend her helping hand to those who are in need. But I am curious if she ever thought of her fellow Koreans who are suffering after the virus outbreak which originated in China. I think she was used by the Chinese propaganda machine," another wrote.
Such cynical reactions came from some internet users because the epidemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year, has spread fast in Korea and created a public health crisis.
As of Sunday 5:50 p.m, 602 Koreans were infected with the killer virus, an increase of 123 people overnight. It has already taken the lives of five Koreans.
Lee is not the first Korean celebrity to deliver her condolences to virus-hit China. Earlier, actress Song Hye-kyo and actor Yoo Ah-in posted a short video titled "Love for Wuhan" on their social media accounts. With background music, the video features a globe with the words "Love for Wuhan".
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