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| In this Jan. 26, 2016, file photo, economy class seating is shown on a new United Airlines Boeing 787-9 undergoing final configuration and maintenance work at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. The Federal Aviation Administration would be required to set new minimum requirements for seats on airplanes under legislation to be considered in the House this week. The regulation of seat width and legroom is part of a five-year extension of federal aviation programs agreed to early Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, by Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate committees that oversee the nation's air travel. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) |
By Jane Han
SEATTLE ― For many Koreans in the U.S., their mother country has never so far away before. The coronavirus has closed off their connection to Korea in unexpected ways, they say.
Grounded flights between the U.S. and Korea, coupled with an unwelcoming sentiment toward inbound travelers and even family members discouraging visits from the U.S. make many people here feel rejected and denied.
''Physically, mentally and emotionally, it's a triple whammy,'' says Kim Ji-yeon, 42, who usually visits her parents and in-laws at least once a year. ''We're helpless about the current circumstances, but I must say, the realty is cold.''
She originally planned to make her annual visit next month with her two sons, but her family back home is pressing her to cancel.
''I personally want to wait until how things pan out in the next few weeks. There's no rush to cancel,'' says Kim. ''But both my mom and mother-in-law are convincing me to cancel right away instead of making any risks whatsoever.''
Her Korean citizenship enables her to self-quarantine at her registered address, which is her parents' house in Mapo, for two weeks instead of going to the government-designated quarantine facility.
''My parents are elderly so my brothers in Korea don't want me to risk their health. I don't want to do any harm either of course, but it's just sad that we are literally being told not to come,'' Kim laments.
For Koreans holding a U.S. or other foreign citizenship, the situation is more frustrating because many cases would require them to quarantine at a designated facility, which costs 1.4 million won per person for two weeks.
''There is a lot of misinformation floating around online about mandatory quarantine guidelines,'' says Jennifer Cho, 32, a newlywed who planned to visit family for the first time after their wedding in January. She and her husband are U.S. citizens without any local Korean address linked to their names.
''I cannot risk the possibility of being forced into some facility for two weeks,'' she says. ''which is why I cancelled my trip for now.''
All schools in the U.S. have been shut for more than a month now and children are home all day every day, leading many parents here to daydream about visiting Korea.
''If it weren't for the coronavirus, what better timing would there be to make a long-term visit back home?'' says Song Eun-hye, who has been homeschooling her two daughters since mid-March. ''But we know better, so we're definitely ruling out the possibility of flying to Korea anytime soon.''
Online communities are flooded with questions, answers and comments about whether to make the high-risk trip or not.
Posts written by U.S. travelers to Korea that detail their testimonies of the two-week quarantine get thousands of hits a day followed by a long string of questions.
''Is there a television in every room of the government designated facility?'' one person asked on MissyUSA, a popular online community among Korean residents in the U.S.
Another user asked, ''What are the meal portion sizes like?"
Constant debate goes back and forth on whether people in the U.S. should even attempt to go to Korea or not.
''Let's be responsible to our home country,'' wrote one user in a compelling post imploring Koreans in the U.S. to stay here. ''Korea is handling the coronavirus so well and is now out of the woods. Shouldn't we do our part and stay out?''
