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| Daegu University in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province. / Courtesy of Daegu University |
By Jung Min-ho
Seven Chinese students at Daegu University have returned home over the past week in fear of the new coronavirus from China.
Hankook Ilbo, sister paper of The Korea Times, reported Thursday that two Chinese students left for home after briefly staying at the dormitory in Gyeongsan, a city near Daegu where hundreds of COVID-19 infections have been reported since last week.
"The students' parents were uneasy about the situation here and asked them to come back," a Daegu University official said. "It's ironic that Chinese students leave (for China) in fear of the virus (from China)."
This comes after five other Chinese students who recently came to Gyeongsan for the new semester returned home on Feb. 24 over the same concerns.
Among 33 Chinese students who signed up for the dormitory, only one has checked into the facility, the official said.
The COVID-19 virus, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, had killed 13 people and infected nearly 1,600 in Korea as of Thursday morning.
In mainland China, the death toll from the virus has surpassed 2,700, with more than 78,000 cases.
