Jeju Convenience Stores Suffer from Trash Left by Chinese Tourists
Not Even Notices Are Heeded... "They Keep Coming In Even When We Try to Clean Up"
"Preventing Misconduct Is Not the Solution... Self-Help Measures Needed"
A convenience store in Jeju suffering from trash left by Chinese tourists has sparked controversy, and on the 24th, Professor Seokyung Deok of Sungshin Women's University pointed out, "If the misbehavior of Chinese tourists in Jeju continues to be neglected, the image of Jeju Island will inevitably decline as well." Professor Seo stated on his social media (SNS) that "the misbehavior of Chinese tourists in Jeju has not ceased."
He said, "In the past, some Chinese tourists visiting Jeju have been heavily criticized for unreasonable behaviors such as damaging tourist sites, causing disturbances, and sexual harassment," adding, "We must prepare various self-help measures such as distributing tourist manners guidebooks and producing related videos to Chinese tourists, and continuously carry out campaigns in the future."
Recently, a photo was posted on an online community showing a convenience store table in Jeju cluttered with leftover cup noodles and drinks. Tourists placed leftover cup noodles on top of the ice cream freezer, and drinks bought outside were reportedly discarded in the convenience store. Although notices written in Korean and Chinese saying "Please tidy up after finishing your food" and "If you make too much noise, the person next to you will be disturbed" were posted in the store, they were ineffective.
The author of the post said, "When I went to change shifts today, it was in this state," and added, "Even though the previous shift worker tried to clean up, a huge number of Chinese customers came in, so there was no time to clean."
A photo of a child, presumed to be a Chinese tourist, defecating on a street in downtown Jeju [Source=Online Community]
Earlier, on the 17th, a photo showing a child presumed to be a Chinese tourist squatting and relieving themselves in the middle of Jeju city sparked controversy. The woman believed to be the mother and her group did not stop the child’s behavior and ignored people’s remarks nearby. The citizen who took and posted the photo said, "I don’t know what they were thinking," and reported it to the police. The police responded immediately after receiving the report but were unable to find the tourists in the photo.
This incident also became a topic of international discussion. When a related post was uploaded on the Chinese portal Phoenix News, local netizens responded with comments such as "Even Chinese people dislike this kind of behavior," "I agree with Koreans criticizing such people," and "Please don’t come back to China." Additionally, when a related article was posted on Taiwan’s Liberty Times, a Taiwanese netizen commented, "Chinese people say China is a 'great country with 5,000 years of history and culture,' but regardless of age or gender, they commit such barbaric acts both domestically and abroad," criticizing the behavior.
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