hankyoreh

A protester holds an American flag upside down in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 28. (Yonhap News)

Protests organized in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck, continued in cities around the US for the fifth day in a row on May 30. Protesters have taken to the streets to denounce police brutality not only in Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed, but also in more than 30 cities in 20 states.

The US is being rocked by a triple catastrophe — the public health crisis and the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the chronic issue of race. If the situation isn’t dealt with promptly, it will have considerable ramifications both inside the US and abroad. The South Korean government needs to keep a close watch on developments and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Koreans in the US.

Protests in several American cities have turned violent, with buildings burned down and shops looted. Nighttime curfews have been imposed in 20 cities, including Miami. Washington, DC, and eight states, including Minnesota, have either mobilized the National Guard or are preparing to do so.

Race is certainly not a new issue in the US, but it’s gotten much worse during the presidency of Donald Trump. Long accused of being racist, Trump has responded truculently to the protests. He described the protesters as “rioters and looters” and has openly considered the idea of sending in federal troops. His comments seem calculated to appeal to his base, given the presidential election coming up in November.

As a result, race is emerging as a key issue in the presidential election. Joe Biden, presidential hopeful for the Democratic Party, got on Twitter to launch an attack at Trump. “This is no time for incendiary tweets. [. . .] We need real leadership right now,” Biden wrote.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has left Trump on the defensive in domestic politics, there are also concerns that he’ll try to compensate by adopting an even tougher stance in relations with China, and in the two countries’ ongoing hegemonic competition. Amid a sharp confrontation between China and the US over the Hong Kong protests and more recently over China’s move to enact security legislation in Hong Kong, the Chinese state media sarcastically described the US protests as a “beautiful sight.” Given the sensitivity of racial issues, the international community needs to be prudent in its response.

The Korean-American community is vulnerable to the arson and looting that have occurred in some of the protests. Five Korean-owned shops in Minneapolis suffered property damage. Since the protests are spreading around the US, more damage could occur in cities with large Korean neighborhoods, such as Los Angeles and New York. The Korean community in LA suffered serious damage in the riots following the beating of Rodney King in 1992. We hope that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our diplomatic offices on the ground will work closely with the American authorities to keep Korean-Americans safe and protect their property.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]