Korean New Zealand Covid-19 collection

Shared by
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

This collection contains Korean-language posters and materials created respectively by the Korean Medical Students Association and Korean Coalition in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The posters and fliers provide information on such topics as handwashing, medical services during Alert Levels 3 and 4, how to prepare for staying at home during lockdowns, and how to set up a QR code for a business.Korean CoalitionThe Korean Covid-19 Coalition was established by Max Kwak during the nationwide lockdown during March 2020. At the time, various groups were keen to help bridge significant gaps in the initial government Covid-19 response for the benefit of people in their communities. They identified a need to provide timely translations of the 1pm and 4pm Covid-19 press briefings and actively disseminate reliable, accurate information about the virus in the Korean language. The Coalition setup, co-ordinated remotely via the popular social media platform KakaoTalk, enabled the groups to communicate with each other more easily, identify important gaps and recruit each other to help. By the end of the lockdown the group consisted of around 40 people from the following groups: - Korean Medical Students Association (now New Zealand Korean Medical Association)- Korean Wellness Society- Auckland Korean Students Association- Auckland Korean Society Inc.- The Korea PostThe translation work of the Coalition and its groups quickly became recognised by Korean New Zealand media as a reliable source of information. The (New Zealand-based) Korea Post published and circulated their translations widely under what became a recognisable logo created by one of the members of the Coalition (see TMP040457-8). The Korean Medical Students Association also translated Covid-19 posters, which were picked up by the official Unite Against Covid-19 campaign in its early stages (see Acc Lot: 'Donation, Korean Medical Students Association, 2021'). In response to the many laws changes and visa issues concerning Korean families in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Coalition and partner group Auckland Korean Society Inc. organised a series of webinars during which participants could have their questions answered by relevant professionals. Other members of the group, recognising the limited nature of information then available on the websites of Korean Embassies, created a list of websites on which reliable, timely information about various changes to visas, laws and pandemic advice during the fast-moving crisis could be found in English and Korean.Following the second nationwide lockdown in response to the Covid Delta strain outbreak in 2021, the Coalition again became active, providing Korean translations of briefings and information such as how to book a vaccination appointment. During both events, members of the Auckland Korean Students Association also volunteered as grocery shoppers and deliverers for vulnerable members of their communities.Korean Medical Students AssociationThe Korean Medical Students Association (KMSA) was established in 2019 by Dr Terry Kim and a group of medical students who wanted to connect Korean students in Auckland and Otago medical schools and contribute their skill to the wider community. During the lockdown, the group was very active working on various posters and other small requests and needs identified by the wider community. KMSA also later joined the Korean Coalition which assisted in the promotion of these posters. The WDHB later sent the group a Certificate of Appreciation for their contributions to the pandemic response.