[Metro24 Hours] 'K-Tourism' Tarnished by Excessive Rudeness and Unethical Business Practices

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Recently, we received a report about someone who was deeply upset by the aggressive sales tactics and excessive rudeness of staff at a restaurant during their vacation.

The informant, who was accompanied by a person with a disability, visited a famous mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) restaurant in Sokcho. They tried to sit in the seat they wanted but were stopped by the staff.

When told that only disabled persons could sit there, they presented a disability card (grade 2), but were repeatedly refused on the grounds that "you must be in a wheelchair."

Although very displeased, they had no choice but to sit elsewhere. Shortly after, they witnessed a non-disabled person sitting in the seat they had been denied.

When they raised the issue with the staff, they received an absurd response: "There were no seats, so we seated them. What's the problem?"

When they asked to speak to the person in charge, the staff took off their apron as if ready to fight, causing them to feel threatened.

It was only after a few days that they received an apology call from the restaurant owner through Sokcho City. However, the staff member in question never apologized.

Investigation revealed that this restaurant did not operate designated seats for disabled persons.

The business policy was to fill seats from the inside out and only allow customers with wheelchairs or strollers to sit when such customers arrived.

In the end, they committed rudeness by unilaterally depriving the customer of their choice of seat without sufficient understanding or consent, all for profit.

The informant expressed their grievance, saying, "I want to erase this bad memory of my summer vacation as soon as possible."

Recently, expensive but poor-quality table settings at sashimi restaurants in Gangneung, Sokcho, and Incheon Wolmido have sparked controversy. All were due to "overcharging sales tactics."

Although local governments conduct campaigns to eradicate unfriendliness and overcharging at tourist spots, complaints continue to overflow on site.

These chronic issues have not been fixed and keep recurring.

Similar cases appeared in a recent investigation of the top 30 franchise food service businesses over the past five years, disclosed by National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee member Choi Young-hee (People Power Party).

Among a total of 3,139 violations, "operator compliance violations," including customer service issues, accounted for the largest share with 724 cases (23%).

The background of these phenomena can be attributed to unethical sales tactics by business owners, inadequate staff training, and the absence of relevant laws.

Even when customers express displeasure and point out problems, the staff are only eager to quickly get out of the situation.

Apologies given reluctantly without understanding what was wrong or why they should apologize are essentially attempts to "cover up the problem at this point."

It is also common that without a change in the owners' awareness, resolution is difficult.

Among these restaurants are famous establishments introduced on TV broadcasts, internet blogs, and SNS.

With restaurants paying to appear on broadcasts and bloggers receiving money to post praise, consumer harm is increasing.

The importance of the tourism industry is emphasized as one of the five promising service industries.

Tourism is called a smokeless industry. For local governments without an industrial base, tourism is the only source of income.

Hosting large events and reorganizing the tourism industry might attract visitors.

However, it must never be forgotten that "Tourism Korea" cannot be achieved by visitors who come only once.