Coronavirus Australia: South Korean man racially abused by passenger

In an “embarrassing experience of racism”, a South Korean man in Cairns has been taunted with fake coughs and sneezes by a passenger in a stopped car.

2 min read

April 9, 2020 - 7:53AM

In what he later called an “embarrassing experience of racism”, a South Korean man in Cairns was taunted with fake coughs and sneezes by a passenger in a stopped car on Tuesday afternoon.

The caucasian male passenger who carried out what appears to be a racially motivated incident was caught on camera by the South Korean man, Charlie Lee, who then shared the footage on social media.

The video shows the man, whose car is stopped at a set of traffic lights in the Far North Queensland city, turn towards another car before mimicking a sneeze through his car window.

He then pretends to sneeze two more times, ignoring the female driver who tells him to stop.

A passenger at a set of traffic lights in Cairns has taunted a South Korean man with fake coughs and sneezes. Picture: Facebook

The video was posted to Mr Lee’s Facebook page, with Mr Lee calling the behaviour “stupid” in a post accompanying it.

“Embarrassed experience of racism in Aus. What stupid behaviour,” he wrote.

The post prompted other Cairns locals to reprimand the man’s behaviour, at a time when the community – and entire country – is on high alert as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Completely unacceptable and I don’t want to live somewhere that thinks this sort of thing is OK,” one woman commented on Mr Lee’s Facebook post.

Cairns MP Michael Healy told 9 News he was shocked at the incident.

“Any racial abuse is intolerable. It’s extremely disappointing and the majority of people living in this city … would find that to be abhorrent and those actions are absolutely disgraceful,” Mr Healy said.

According to data seen by the ABC, the Australian Human Rights Commission said about one in four people who lodged racial discrimination complaints in the past two months say they were targeted due to COVID-19.

Thanks to all whoâ€™ve spoken out against racism. Most Australians agree itâ€™s no laughing matter. When newspapers try to smear the work of anti-racism as being a â€œrace hustlerâ€ or â€œrace baiterâ€, it shows what we are up against. We must always stand up to hate, bigotry and prejudice pic.twitter.com/TibYkt0OFB
— Tim Soutphommasane (@timsout) February 6, 2020

Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan told the ABC coronavirus-related discrimination against people of Asian backgrounds must be condemned.

“Coronavirus has nothing to do with race or nationality – and neither fear of the virus, nor frustration at the difficulties we all face, are excuses for discrimination,” he said.

“People of all backgrounds are dealing with this crisis. No group can be singled out, and we must all work collectively to defeat it.”

The footage comes as national Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the federal government would be stepping up protection and cracking down on anti-social behaviour.

“State and territory criminal laws also make it an offence to cause someone else to fear that they are having transmitted to them the virus, for example, by coughing on them,” he said.

“Two people have been charged in the ACT for precisely this type of behaviour and the same will occur in other jurisdictions as well.”