대학신문방송국

Still a Livable World

Stories About Hope and Belief 

By Jo Tae-yeon Cub Reporter, Junior of Economics

Making a concession was natural in the past, but now it is considered a choice. People think more of personal benefit than consideration for other people. Due to this, people say that the world is harsh. In the summer of 2015, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused a tremble in all parts of the country. It was a state of national crisis and people were scared. Now, all countries tremble because of the new virus, COVID-19. The first occurrence of the virus in China was in December of 2019, and it spread rapidly with the first suspected case in South Korea in January of 2020. The spread rate of COVID-19 in Korea is beyond imagination, with about 1,000 cases confirmed in a week. Because of this situation, people’s anxiety has increased and numerous events have been canceled. People became indifferent to neighbors and they avoided contact or spent time alone. Nevertheless, the desire to help people is still widely present around the world. This article features stories that show hope and belief despite the fact that we’re living in a harsh world. 

The  Kukmin Daily shared subscribers’ stories that show hope and warmth through their “Still a Livable World” column. COVID-19 has put people in a critical situation but “Still a Livable World” is touching people by telling the stories of donations and consideration for others.

The Kind Landlord

Mr. Lee was running a chicken restaurant in Seoul (Jung-gu) when he got a call from the landlord. The call began with a normal greeting. Then, the landlord told him he would lower the rent from 12 million won to 10 million won, reducing his burden by 2 million won. Recently, it had been difficult for Mr. Lee to maintain his livelihood. But, after the phone call from his landlord, he felt his heart lighten. The livelihoods of small business owners are at risk due to the spread of COVID-19. The virus caused not only a national health threat, but also an economic downturn. So, the landlord lowered rent for his tenant. Thankfully, this is not the only story of a kind landlord.

Contribution and Letter from an Old Woman

Eunpyeong-gu Community Service Center in Seoul told the story of an old woman who made a contribution of 743,000 won that she had saved to overcome the COVID-19 damage. She wrote, “Please use for COVID-19. It is not big money for a rich man, but for us who are not rich, it’s big money. Therefore, please use it for poor senior citizens and a doctor who strives for us.” The woman saved money by cutting down meals to help others survive coronavirus infection damage. Public officers asked her for her name many times but she refused. This anonymous donation was a sacrifice she made to help her community.

The Strange Sold-out Parades in Daegu

For a time, people stopped visiting restaurants in Daegu because of COVID-19. But, a piece of paper was attached to many restaurant’s entrances, and "sold out" was written on that paper. An orange seller in Daegu was thinking about how to deal with the 80 remaining boxes of oranges he had to sell. Because of the stay home orders, no one was out buying oranges, so he was going to have to throw them all away. After his story was uploaded on SNS, he sold all of them in 10 minutes with the help of Daegu citizens. This was not all. A seller who runs a meat restaurant sold everything he had in his refrigerator through SNS. This sold-out parade continued. People shared the situations of self-employed business owners through SNS. As a result, Daegu citizens living near the stores bought all remaining food, which allowed them to sell out of the ingredients piled up in their refrigerators.

People who have heard “Still a Livable World” stories say that they feel they can overcome COVID-19 because they shared warm hearts. These days, many people are having a hard time financially. Nevertheless, a donation procession is going on. Not just celebrities, but also people who live basic lives, disabled couples, old couples, and young students have also made donations. They donated not only their money, but also their warm hearts. Despite the difficult situation, people were moved to take action for their community. These stories can’t solve COVID-19, but the warm minds of people give hope and make us believe we can overcome fear of the virus.