Hwang Kyo-ik: "Koreans Used to Eat Bats... Not Different from Chinese"

Hwang Kyo-ik, Food Columnist [Image Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] Amid research findings suggesting that the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) likely spread through bats sold at the Huanan Market in Wuhan, China, taste columnist Hwang Kyo-ik claimed that bats were also eaten in Korea in the past.

On the 28th, Hwang shared an article titled "Overhunting Threatens Bat Extinction" reported by Kyunghyang Newspaper in 1979 on his Facebook, stating, "The 1979 Kyunghyang Newspaper article reports that the bat population sharply declined due to being caught and eaten."

He continued, "When it became known that the novel coronavirus originated from bats, some people expressed hatred toward Chinese people who consume bats, but Koreans in the past were no different from today's Chinese."

He said, "Koreans also ate bats in the past. Of course, it was not an everyday food. They ate it thinking it would be good for their health," adding, "It would not be unreasonable to interpret the food customs of Chinese people in the 2010s as being at the level of Koreans in the 1970s."

He added, "Human diets change over time," and "Due to the novel coronavirus incident, bat dishes will disappear at least in China. Nevertheless, once the novel coronavirus subsides, as in the past, Korean broadcasters will film 'delicious bat dish' mukbangs in some remote areas of Asia and Africa solely for ratings."