Chinese Warning Sign at Jeju Accessory Shop
Employee: "Older Chinese Tourists Are Buying Everything"
As the number of Chinese tourists visiting Jeju Island has been increasing recently, an anecdote experienced by a Chinese influencer during a trip to Jeju is being reexamined.
On the 26th, various online communities posted a video titled "A Chinese person who came to teach Koreans a lesson," featuring Chinese TikToker A, who visited Jeju Island last summer. A, who has 5.2 million followers, said in the video, "I experienced a humiliating incident in Jeju," and added, "There was a note written in Chinese at the accessory store's checkout counter that said, 'There is CCTV, so do not steal items.'" He continued, "This is a foreign country, but the warning was written only in Chinese, which made me angry." A said, "I asked the staff as if nothing had happened," and "But unexpectedly, the staff was also Chinese. That made me even more upset."
When A asked the staff why the warning was written only in Chinese, the staff replied, "Most of the older members of Chinese group tourists take things. We have seen it ourselves." The staff continued, "My friend runs an unmanned store, but Chinese ladies swept everything away. They even took all the tissues, so the store eventually had to close." A frowned and said, "Do you know how embarrassed I felt listening to the staff's words?"
Meanwhile, according to Korean tourism statistics, the largest number of foreign tourists visiting Korea in April was Chinese. In April, 411,331 Chinese visited Korea. This is a 288% increase compared to the same period last year.
However, recently, there has been controversy online as reports of disruptive behavior by Chinese tourists have continued. Earlier this month, Chinese tourists caused controversy by smoking and carelessly discarding cigarette butts at Seongsan Ilchulbong, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Although there are notices stating "Smoking in non-smoking areas may result in fines" and announcements in Chinese are repeatedly broadcast at Seongsan Ilchulbong, they reportedly ignored these warnings and continued smoking. Additionally, a convenience store in Jeju expressed dissatisfaction due to trash left behind by Chinese tourists.
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