Daegu Government Apologizes For Post About COVID-19 And “Foreigners”

The post has been seen as discriminatory against foreigners.

Colorfuldaegu, the Daegu Metropolitan Government‘s official Facebook page, has apologized for an unintentionally discriminatory post regarding the Daegu Lantern Festival, Corona19 (COVID-19), and foreigners.

On March 2, Colorfuldaegu announced that foreigners would not be permitted to attend Daegu Lantern Festival 2020 in order to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. As a result, the Daegu government has been accused of discrimination and even racism by English-speaking Facebook users.

In response, Colorfuldaegu apologized for the deleted post’s “inappropriate words” and announced the festival’s postponement.

Many commenters, however, did not find this apology sincere, nor the explanation satisfactory.

Colofuldaegu has since posted a second, more heartfelt apology. The administrator explained that their poor wording was the result of a “lack of English” skills not discrimination.

So far, this apology has been better received than the previous one, but not by all. Some still feel that the original post was more than a simple language blunder.

Other commenters have pointed out that safety should be the top concern in this matter, and that safety precautions such as these are not intended to divide people, but rather protect them all.

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