Bed bugs (parasitic insects that feed on blood) recently invaded South Korea and immediately wreaked havoc in public places and households alike. The bites, described as itchy enough to drive one crazy, triggered bedbugphobia, a newly coined term to describe the fear around the blood-sucking vermin. This, in turn, brought about excessive aversion to foreigners, the supposed source of this epidemic. 

Under such circumstances, the government normally sprays the affected location with pesticides. However, new mutations rendered this treatment ineffective. “I think complete eradication may be impossible because of the resistance to pesticides, so effective pest management strategies will be needed,” said Dr. Hae-Jeong Kang, a researcher at the Daegu Research Center. 

With such a call for a new solution, the government now utilizes heat for eradication. After disinfection, a heater steams down the area and kills both bed bugs and their eggs. “If there are already bed bugs present, then heat treatment is the most effective solution because the bed bugs are very sensitive to high temperatures,” said Dr. Kang. 

The threat of these itchy bites veils a more covert issue – xenophobia. Already widespread in Korea, many locals believe that foreigners “carried” the pests into the country – in multiple news articles and videos, prejudiced netizens spammed hurtful comments such as, “Disgusting. These dirty foreign laborers should go back to where they belong. Do they even wash themselves?”

Some students expressed similar sentiments as well. “We don’t have bed bugs often in Korea, so it’s definitely the foreigners’ fault for bringing them into our country,” said a DIS student who wished to remain anonymous.

This baseless fear-mongering extended its reach to tangible impacts. The hotel industry took a blow because some citizens started to avoid lodging altogether to keep away from the pest-bringers. However, according to a representative from the Marriott Hotel Daegu Branch, “There has never been an incident or report of these bed bug breakouts in our hotel.” Furthermore, most accommodations wash their sheets thoroughly before reusing them. 

As Korea progresses from the bedbug epidemic, it must address the intolerance that the whole fiasco brought about. Zooming out, this crisis relates to the entire world. According to Kang, professionals must understand the movement patterns and transmission methods of bed bugs to prevent further outbreaks. As Kang said, “Now is the time for collective action, not the blame game.”