By Honorary Reporter Ma. Lilia Pedellume from Philippines

(Korea.net DB)

The epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea, Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, hold a special place in my heart because I lived in the region for 11 years. I still have friends and former colleagues who live there, and I cannot stop thinking of them every day. I truly hope that this crisis will end soon.

On the bright side, I am thrilled to read news about Korean celebrities and private companies donating generously to help people affected by the outbreak.

In addition, other inspiring stories circulating online tell of selfless acts of kindness, unity and patriotism in Korea. Here are a few of my favorites.

"Cheer up, people of Daegu! We're in this together."

(Seosan City)

An 80-year old man in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do Province, donated KRW 980,000 to the COVID-19-fighting campaign. Based on an article posted on the Good Morning Chungcheong website, he came to a social welfare office carrying a white vinyl bag filled with bills and coins. He also wrote a touching letter to Daegu residents saying, "Cheer up, people of Daegu! We're in this together." He also thanked the government and health officials for their efforts to fight COVID-19 and added that he believes that Korea will beat the coronavirus.

Doctors close their clinics to go help in Daegu
A doctor in Daegu, Lee Seong-gu, went on a 10-day leave from his workplace to volunteer at Daegu Dongsan Hospital. When he saw a lack of doctors to deal with the growing number of COVID-19 patients in Daegu, he decided to ask for help from his colleagues and fellow physicians through a message alert. His alert inspired hundreds of doctors to go help in Daegu. Some even closed their clinics.

Lunchboxes for medical staff

(Screen captures from Facebook)

A group of vendors at Daegu Chilseong Night Market prepared lunchboxes and coffee for medical staff who worked day and night because of the outbreak. On Feb. 29, photos of the lunchboxes were posted on Facebook with the caption saying that though the market was closed, the vendors still made lunchboxes for the medical staff. Such staff and volunteers have suffered from huge pressure during these difficult times, but seeing the vendors look after them is truly heartwarming and inspiring.

Stories of unity and patriotism from Korea's past

(Daegu Metropolitan City)

These stories reminded me of examples of Korean patriotism that my Korean-language teacher told our class. Back in the 1900s, she said, Korea owed a lot of money to Japan and to help pay off that debt, Koreans did what they could. Men quit smoking to save money while women donated their gold jewelry and ornaments. Because of such charity, the Korean Empire repaid its debt.

Ninety years later, history repeated itself. In 1997, Korea was on the edge of national bankruptcy and the government was forced to seek help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF granted Korea a gargantuan USD 58 billion bailout. To repay the debt faster, the government sought the people's help through a national campaign of gold collection, in which Koreans participated wholeheartedly. Rich and poor and young and old, people stood in queues to donate their jewelry and other cherished items made of gold. Though the drive failed to raise enough to pay off the debt, it showed the world something worth emulating -- the Korean people's unity and patriotism.

What the old man, the doctors and the vendors did is a form of patriotism because they did it for their country. What they did might not have completely solved the problem but did have a ripple effect and inspired more people to help others.

I believe Korea will win this war on COVID-19. Though the government has done a great job so far, cooperation from the people will prove crucial to ensure a complete victory.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean