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SEOUL: Along with shock and sadness, fears of a racial backlash were
uppermost in South Koreans’ minds as news sank in Wednesday that a
compatriot was to blame for the US university massacre.
“I was shocked and dismayed,” said Park Ha-Seok,
a day after US police named South Korean student Cho Seung-Hui, 23,
as responsible for the shooting spree, which left himself and 32
others dead at Virginia Tech.
“Even if this is an individual case committed
by a sick person, everybody does not see things rationally,” Park,
a 50-year-old insurance company manager, told AFP.
“Some crazy guys like KKK [the white
supremacist Ku Klux Klan] might take it out on other Koreans. This
might also raise voices for the US government to tighten controls on
immigration.”
Civil servant Lee Young-Seok said he was “so
stunned” by the killer’s nationality. “I know there are a lot
of South Korean students in the United States and I’m now really
concerned about their safety,” he said.
“As a Korean I felt somewhat ashamed.”
Hwang Jae-Eun, a 31-year-old postgraduate
student, told Yonhap news agency the report “took my breath
away.”
“I express my deep condolences for those
killed,” Hwang said. “I don’t know why he committed such a
crime but I’m worried this tragedy will bring a curse to all
Koreans.”
Kim Yeong-Ok, 32, said she fears retaliation
against Korean students and their parents in the United States.
“I hope the government will take extra caution
to calm down the Korean-American community in confusion and shock,
and prevent possible damage to other Koreans,” she said.
Politicians also fretted that the incident may
damage ties with the US, South Korea’s main ally.
“I express my deep sorrow for the school
officials and students killed in the shootings and their family
members,” said Kang Jae-Sup, chairman of the conservative Grand
National Party.
“I also hope this incident will not cause a
crack in South Korea-US ties, and the government should also work
out measures for the safety of Korean students and residents in the
United States just in case.”
Chung Se-Kyun, chairman of the pro-government
Uri Party, said he could not contain his shock and sorrow.
“These kinds of incidents can stoke various
kinds of worries, and the disturbance should be put under control as
quickly as possible.”
South Koreans live in a low-crime society, which
bans private possession of guns. Some questioned how Cho could
acquire firearms.
“At first, I was appalled at the magnitude of
the mass killing. And then I was shocked all the more and felt
ashamed as the killer was identified as a South Korean,” said Kim
In-Sook, a 52-year-old mother of two students attending universities
in Seattle.
“I am afraid Korea’s image might be
damaged,” she told AFP by phone from Seattle. “My Korean friends
and I are all concerned about the aftermath of this tragedy. We tell
our kids to be on alert.
“I think the US government must tighten
control on guns. I don’t understand how a young student like Cho
can freely buy such terrible weapons.”
--AFP
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