By Kim Se-jeong



Korean society is in a panic over the Ebola virus, with some saying that Africans should not be allowed into the country. Some Africans who live here are speaking against such irrational responses.



"I am definitely thinking about Ebola these days because anyone can travel anywhere, and God knows how quickly and easily the Ebola virus can travel,'' university student Kim Chun-myung, 22, told The Korea Times. "I personally think banning Africans from coming into Korea is a smart thing to do."



Another university student, Choi Sun-young, expressed similar sentiments.



"Everyone is making a fuss about it, and even at Duksung Women's University, they banned three Nigerian students from attending their conference, so I realize how worried I should be,'' Choi said. "I live in Busan, and I feel rather lucky that there aren't many Africans living here. I will be moving to Germany soon, and I've heard that there are many Africans living there, which has me reconsidering my decision to study abroad.''



Africans living in Korea are feeling the sting of discrimination as a result of the Ebola outbreak. They are afraid they will be stigmatized as carriers of the disease just bwcause they are from Africa.



For example, a man from Cote d'Ivoire told the media he thought the Ebola panic could make his life as an African in Korea more difficult. One African student was quoted as saying she stayed at home as much as possible to avoid discrimination.



African envoys, too, worry that their citizens may be subjected to unfair treatment.



"What's happening in Korea is very unfortunate," said Ambassador Sylvestre Kouassi Bile of Cote d'Ivoire. "Korea is safe. [Ebola is] not a disease that spreads through the air. In America they have Ebola patients, but they keep sending more medical personnel to infected nations. But here, people say it's dangerous to visit Africa. Africa is a continent, not a country."



Cote d'Ivoire has closed its borders to neighboring Guinea and Liberia since the Ebola outbreak started.



Nigeria and Sierra Leone have embassies in Seoul, but representatives of those embassies could not be reached for comment.



The recent Ebola outbreak has killed almost 900 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Two American aid workers who contracted the virus have been transferred back to the United States for treatment, but with the exception of those two cases the virus has not left the African continent. The fatality rate is almost 90 percent.



To contract the virus, it is necessary to have direct contact with blood, organs or body fluids of infected people or animals. People usually fall sick after three weeks with symptoms of fever and organ failure. Death follows in less than 10 days, and there is no known cure or vaccine.



Meanwhile, retail stores here have stopped selling fish and other products imported from West Africa. Construction firms and other businesses with offices in countries where Ebola cases have been confirmed are considering bringing their personnel home.



