Jeong Hyo-jeong Photo: Courtesy of Jeong Hyo-jeong

As a vlogger, doctoral student and wife, Jeong Hyo-jeong, a South Korean who has lived in Beijing for a decade, has been even busier than usual during the outbreak of COVID-19, even though the city had been brought to a standstill for a time to stop the spread of the virus.

One of the most popular of Jeong's videos on Bilibili, one of the most visited ACG (Animation, Comic and Game) websites in China, has reached more than 1 million views. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, aside from sharing her day-to-day life in Beijing and how the city is combating the deadly virus, she has been uploading more videos recently about the epidemic's situation in China and South Korea. 

When the epidemic first broke out in January, her family in South Korea was very worried. After she told them about the strict control measures the residential compound where she lives in was taking, they were both surprised and relieved, Jeong told the Global Times.

"Many of my South Korean friends told me that China was the only country that could adopt such prevention and control measures. A South Korean reporter also said that if the virus first broke out in other countries, we probably wouldn't be able to see such effective results this soon," she said. 

Meanwhile, she noted that in South Korea, even though the country has not adopted strict measures like China, the government has been providing large-scale diagnostic tests to the public, which so far seems to be very effective and suitable for the country's situation.

At the height of the epidemic in China, South Korea donated medical supplies and showed its support. Now, the Chinese government and Chinese organizations are giving back by donating medical supplies to COVID-19 hit South Korea. Despite the solidarity between the two countries, there have also been some misunderstandings that have led to accusations by netizens on both sides. Jeong has been trying to address these misunderstandings through her videos.

In a recent video, which she also posted on her YouTube channel, she shared her thoughts on how China and South Korea have treated international students from each other's countries during the epidemic.

"South Korea has been faced with a shortage of masks. Some South Korean netizens have seen in the news that Chinese students who returned to South Korea for the new semester had received support during their quarantine, such as food, hand sanitizer and face masks... Some South Korean netizens were unhappy about this as they don't have masks," she explains in the video.

Vice versa, there have been complaints from some Chinese netizens saying that international students, including South Korean students in China, have been getting special treatment during the epidemic.

Jeong doesn't live on campus, but she learned that international students living on campus at her university had been provided with masks. Once the outbreak started, her school and teachers called her instantly to check in and told her not to hesitate to reach out for help.

"They [the two countries] both have been taking good care of international students."

Her video has led to many discussions. Some Chinese students in South Korea also confirmed that their schools have been providing them great support during their quarantine. Some commented that it is understandable for the two countries to give attention to international students no matter where they are from during such a time, given they have come to a different country alone. Many also pointed out that blaming others won't help control the epidemic and China and South Korea need to stay strong together.

Jeong Hyo-jeong Photo: Courtesy of Jeong Hyo-jeong

Before the outbreak, aside from sharing her daily life, Jeong's videos had been largely about Chinese food, tourist spots, traditional culture and what is trending among the young people in China. Most are either in Korean or Chinese. She said she really looks forward to incorporating English subtitles to her videos in the future. So she can share the China she sees with more people.

"I hope we can all stand together and that the battle against the virus will be ended soon," Jeong concluded.