Elderly Man Washing Dishes in Valley Where People Play in Water Criticized... "It Can't Be Helped"

Cooking Activities in National Parks Subject to Fines Upon Detection

A nuisance tourist washing dishes in the Palgongsan Valley, a tourist attraction in the Gyeongbuk region, has become a hot topic.

On the 14th, an online community 'FM Korea' shared a story about an elderly person washing dishes with water from the Palgongsan Valley. Netizen A, who posted the story, said, "I saw an elderly woman, B, washing dishes," and added, "I had seen B washing dishes during a previous hike as well."

A report has emerged of an elderly person washing dishes in a valley of Palgongsan, a national park in the Gyeongbuk region, sparking controversy.
[Image source=Online community capture]

A approached B to explain that "people are playing in the water downstream," but B replied, "I can't help it," and continued washing the dishes. B also reportedly excused herself by saying, "I pick up all the trash in this area."

After a long conversation with B, A learned that B visits the valley once a week to wash personal items such as dishes. A also took photos of B washing dishes and posted them on the community. The photos showed pots and bowls with detergent placed in a plastic basket on a rock. The detergent on the dishes appeared to have been washed away by the valley water and flowed downstream.

Netizens who read A’s post responded with comments such as, "People like that won’t listen to words," "They should be reported and fined," "In the past, many people considered washing dishes at tourist spots normal," and "Their mindset is still stuck in the 1980s."

Palgongsan was promoted to National Park No. 23 on December 31 last year. Under current law, activities such as cooking, smoking, and camping including tent installation are strictly prohibited in national parks, and violators can be fined up to 2 million won.

Despite these measures, nuisance behaviors at tourist spots surge every summer vacation season. According to JTBC’s 'Incident Room,' on the 13th of last month, a middle-aged man and woman were caught washing dishes with detergent in a valley in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. Also, in a river in Gurye, Jeonnam, where cooking and nighttime access are prohibited, a couple caused controversy by pitching a tent and cooking food.