As the authorities scrambled to install high-temperature steam heaters at the airport and approve industrial-strength insecticides for home use, he started mapping reported infestations.
South Korea has been largely bedbug-free for years, but it has seen a surge in infestations as travel has rebounded after the pandemic with more than 100 cases of the blood-sucking pests reported since late November, official statistics show.
And while the public has bugged out and media coverage has spiralled thousands of people have turned to Mr Kang's website, bedbugboard.com, for a sober datadriven look at the outbreak.
"I am extremely sensitive to insects, so I sleep under a mosquito net throughout all four seasons," he said.
His fear of bedbugs drove him to create an interactive map that shows the approximate locations of reported infestations across the country, as well as real-time news stories on the issue.
The site now receives as many as 50,000 visitors a day, up from around 40 when he launched it.
Esta historia es de la edición December 20, 2023 de The Straits Times.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 20, 2023 de The Straits Times.
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