[Comprehensive] Hwang Kyo-ik: "Hating Chinese People for Eating Bats? Seolhyun Ate Them Too"... Even Sharing the Article

"Koreans Also Ate Bats in the Past"
"I Think Politicians Are Using This for the General Election"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] As the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) spreads worldwide, the Chinese culture of eating bats is facing public criticism. However, food columnist Hwang Kyo-ik has countered, stating that this incites hatred. In particular, he cited articles mentioning AOA member Seolhyun eating bats on a past broadcast, arguing that consuming bats is not problematic.

On the 30th, Hwang appeared on YTN Radio's "Lee Dong-hyung's News Face-off" and revealed, "In a 1999 article, an official from the Ministry of Environment mentioned the overharvesting of bats for herbal medicine. In 1979, a certain doctor related to bats even said, 'Let's stop catching bats,' and 'They are endangered because too many are being caught.'"

He continued, "Now, with the claim that the novel coronavirus spread significantly due to bats, phrases like 'Chinese people eat bats' and 'They eat bats at the Wuhan market' have emerged," adding, "Such statements almost resemble a people's tribunal, fostering hatred by saying things like 'Chinese people are uncivilized.' The media has largely fueled this."

He further stated, "Hatred based on certain nationalities or ethnic groups eating specific foods exists all over the world. During the imperialist era, labeling colonized people as uncivilized was one way to incite hatred, often by targeting their food. I think it is not good that such methods are openly happening in South Korea now. We also ate bats until not long ago. It was not a daily staple. Chinese people also do not eat bats as a daily food."

Hwang added, "A Chinese blog showed eating bat soup in 2016. It was not eaten in China but on an island in the South Pacific called Palau. Using that video, hatred towards Chinese people is being stirred up," explaining, "In 2016, a Korean broadcaster also showed scenes of eating bats. SBS's 'Law of the Jungle' featured Seolhyun eating bats. It was almost the same period."

Hwang said, "Hatred is being created and linked to anti-Chinese sentiment and dissatisfaction with an unregulated government, aiming to shape the political landscape. Currently, there are only four confirmed cases domestically and no deaths from the novel coronavirus. Yet, anxiety is being stirred up. I can only think that politicians are exploiting this for election purposes," he added.

Photo by Hwang Kyo-ik, Facebook screen capture

Earlier, on the 29th, Hwang posted on his Facebook, "Before the novel coronavirus, news sufficiently reported that bats transmitted viruses like SARS, MERS, and Ebola, but Korean broadcasts showed bat-eating scenes on prime time," stating, "It was produced as an interesting mukbang and achieved high ratings, with no reports pointing out virus or hygiene issues."

He continued, "Recently, as the novel coronavirus spread widely in China, bat consumption has been used as a tool to discriminate against and hate Chinese people," adding, "The fact that bats were eaten is the same, but reactions to that fact differ. I hope people take time to question why this is happening."

Hwang has also been involved in controversy by citing articles about Seolhyun eating bat meat on the April 2016 SBS variety show "Law of the Jungle."

Netizens who learned of this expressed various reactions such as, "Mentioning a specific celebrity's name seems quite reckless," "It was a broadcast setting; is it okay to slander like this?" and "We should avoid racial hatred, but I think the way this is being publicized is wrong."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.