Amidst the outbreak of COVID-19 and social distancing, an appropriately humorous mantra incorporating the Korean creation myth of Dangun is being used to comfort those in isolation.
According to the website of the Korea Tourism Organization, the Legend of Dangun (단군신화) is a “mythical story that portrays the origin of the Korean people as descendants of a bear, and the founding of Korea through Dangun” (KTO). The story begins with the prayer of a tiger and bear in hopes to become human. In response, the son of the Lord of Heaven Hwanung gives the two animals 20 cloves of garlic and a bundle of mugwort each along with the order to remain inside a cave for 100 days. Unlike the tiger who gave up in 20 days, the bear is said to have completed 100 days of cave-living while eating garlic and became a human woman. The son of this bear-woman and Hwanung was named Dangun Wanggeom, the man to build the state of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom in history. It is said that modern-day Koreans are the descendants of this bear turned woman. This legend of the creation of Korea has become the basis of humorous consolations like “self-separation is in the founding myth of our country, continue practicing social distancing!”
The meme translates to “(This is) a country that has been self-purchased from the very beginning. Even worse, Hwanung said to stay in doors for 100 days."
The flyer made by Yongin-si, a major city in the Gyeonggi Province, details the continuation of social distancing until April 19 along with the following words of encouragement: “What race are we? An ethnic group that has shown the end of social distancing since the founding myths…”
South Korea has been able to successfully flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases with the help of a fast-acting government, but most importantly, through the widespread sense of social trust and importance placed on the larger community. South Korea was one of the countries that were infected from an earlier standpoint than some others. It also had an alarming growth in cases in the beginning, recording up to 900 confirmed cases in a day. Today, numbers of cases added daily are below 10, and death rates are one of the lowest. The government was able to act fast by beginning the manufacture and distribution of test kits and developing safe, smart ways of mass testing (e.g. drive-through stations). Most notably, citizens gave up their rights to individual privacy to make contact-tracing of paths of infection possible. South Koreans also self-initiated social distancing and quarantine with a simple warning of the virus’s severity from the government. As a whole, the majority of individuals are being careful and responsible for their actions and whereabouts to prevent the further spread of the pandemic. With this collectivist mentality and high levels of social trust, the government worked with the population to better the situation of coronavirus. This creation myth is another pointer of Korea’s homogenous, collectivist nature that lead to the slowdown of the infection.
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