Young South Koreans turn on China as Hong Kong, coronavirus weigh on minds
- A recent Pew Research survey found South Korea stood apart as the only country where youth were more negative towards China than their elders
- Beijing’s Covid-19 response and the Hong Kong protests are seen as key factors, but some say the influence of Western media has also played a part
Lim’s views are common in South Korea, where negative sentiment towards China has soared to unprecedented heights alongside Beijing’s growing influence and increasingly assertive moves in the region.
And while South Koreans’ souring attitudes are mirrored across the developed world, unlike elsewhere, it is the country’s younger generations that are particularly negative on the burgeoning superpower’s rise.
Eighty-two per cent of South Koreans aged 30-49 told pollsters they had a negative view of China, according to a survey released last week by the Pew Research Centre, while 80 per cent of those aged 18-29 felt the same. In the same survey, 68 per cent of South Koreans over 50 held a negative view.
Among 14 countries surveyed – including Australia, Britain, France, Japan and the United States – South Korea stood apart as the only one in which the youngest generation held more negative views than their elders.
South Koreans’ increasingly dire public sentiment towards China stands in contrast to the relatively harmonious relations Seoul has been able to maintain with Beijing in comparison with many of its developed peers.
Despite being a key US ally, South Korea counts China as its biggest trading partner, sending the country about one-quarter of its exports.
02:12
China stages high-profile ceremony to welcome home remains of 117 soldiers killed in Korean war
After briefly becoming a global hotspot of the virus, South Korea has largely managed to keep the virus under control, recording fewer than 500 deaths and far less economic disruption than in other developed countries.
An Junseong, an adjunct professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, said the pandemic had dealt a heavy blow to China’s image in South Korea.
“Many Koreans still call it ‘Wuhan virus’ since it originated from that city in China and they view it as another ‘made in China’ thing which causes serious bodily harm, as in the case of yellow dust,” said An, referring to long-standing public disquiet over seasonal pollution that blows into the country from China.
A student at Seoul‘s Hanyang University, who requested anonymity, said that incidents of mainland Chinese students tearing down posters and harassing Korean students who supported the Hong Kong protests had affected China’s image among young people.
Other observers pointed to older grievances between the sides.
09:09
National Security Law: The impact on Hong Kong’s activists
“China did not take any side but demonstrated doubts about North Korea‘s provocation,” she said. “This was particularly important to young South Korean men who have to serve mandatory military duty.
“Cheonan and the shelling of Yeongpyeongdo formulated a strong conservative attitude among the young generation over security issues and antagonistic feelings against the North – and China to a certain extent – as a result.”
“It was not just the young generation, but they were probably the most angered by the incident,” she said.
Jae-Hung Chung, a research fellow at the Seoul-based Sejong Institute, suggested, however, that Western popular culture and media coverage could be behind China’s deteriorating image.
“Currently, a large number of the youth population in Korea are exposed to Western culture from an early age and thus, their overall perspectives and mindsets are much Westernised compared to previous generations,” Chung said.
“Since the majority of China-related reports from Korea consist of negative analyses of China from a Western perspective and gossipy news, young South Koreans have relatively strong negative perceptions toward China.”