The Chosun Ilbo is working on getting the Korean population worked up like the rest of the world about the swine flu:

The government fears 20 to 40 percent of the Korean population could be infected within eight weeks if a new variant of influenza were ever to turn into a pandemic. Amidst reports of more swine flu cases worldwide, the World Health Organization on Thursday raised its pandemic alert level to phase 5, one step below a global epidemic.

A government action plan for new flu strains obtained by the Chosun Ilbo says an average of 37 percent of the population over 65, 11 percent of those between 19 and 64, and 4 percent of under-18s could become infected by an epidemic. It points out that segregation of infected patients become meaningless in a global pandemic, and it is more important to treat the disease to minimize the spread of the virus and protect the life of citizens.

Current stockpiles of Tamiflu, a product marketed by pharmaceutical giant Roche and said to be effective in treating flu, and rival GlaxoSmithKline’s Relenza, are enough for only 2.5 million people, 5 percent of Korea’s population. Advanced countries such as Japan and the U.S. were persuaded to buy enough stock for at least 20 percent of their population, and France has enough for 50 percent.  [Chosun Ilbo]

If you want to know what I think about swine flu then go ahead and read what one of my favorite journalists Andrew Bolt has to say.

Maybe the leftist groups in South Korea can jump on the swine flu issue and instead of a summer of US beef protests to bash President Lee Myung-bak with we can see a summer of swine bashing against Lee instead.