All Flags Removed After Controversy
Ongoing Public Order Issues Amid Surge in Tourists
The Chinese national flag, known as the Five-star Red Flag, was installed and then removed from a beach in Udo, Jeju. On the 13th, several online communities and social networking services (SNS) posted a video taken by a tourist at a beach in Udo. In the video, the Five-star Red Flag was seen lined up alongside the Taegeukgi along the coastal road. It was reported that the Five-star Red Flag was firmly fixed into the ground. The person who filmed the video, identified as A, expressed concern, saying, "While we assert that Dokdo is our territory, it feels as if we are handing Udo over to China." The video was filmed on the 8th at around 12:54 p.m.
On the 8th, the Chinese national flag was seen planted alongside the Taegeukgi on a beach in Udo, Jeju. SNS
Person A explained, "I don't know why the Five-star Red Flag was there, but I happened to discover it while touring Udo on an electric vehicle." In response to a comment asking why the flag was not removed, A said, "There was a line of Chinese tourists waiting to take photos in front of the flag, so I couldn't bring myself to do it." Viewers of the video reacted with comments such as, "Since when did Jeju become an island for Chinese people?" "Things like this happen because there are no restrictions," and "It's an unbelievable scene." Some viewers, angered by the video, even filed complaints with the Jeju Provincial Government. An official from Udo-myeon told a media outlet, "It appears to have been installed by an individual," and added, "By the time our staff checked the site, all the Chinese flags had already been removed."
On the 8th, the Chinese national flag was seen planted alongside the Taegeukgi on a beach in Udo, Jeju. SNS
This incident occurred as the number of foreign tourists visiting Jeju is rapidly increasing. Around January, the Jeju Tourism Association announced that the number of foreign tourists who visited Jeju last year was 1,907,608. This figure surpassed one million for the first time in five years since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, Chinese tourists numbered 1,304,359, accounting for 68.4% of all foreign visitors. However, as the number of foreign tourists surges, issues related to basic public order continue to be raised. According to the Jeju Metropolitan Police Agency, during the 100-day period from March 23 to June 30, a total of 4,806 cases of basic public order violations?such as jaywalking, illegal dumping, and public urination?were detected as part of a special law enforcement initiative to respond to foreigner-related crime.
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