"To Create a Photo Zone for Tourists"... Man in His 50s Installs Chinese Five-star Red Flag on Udo, Jeju

Installed the Five-star Red Flag to Attract Tourists
Removed After Controversy

According to a report by Yonhap News on July 14, an incident occurred in which the Chinese national flag, the Five-star Red Flag, was installed and then removed from a beach in Udo, Jeju. It was revealed that the person who installed the flag was a man in his 50s who spoke with a Joseonjok accent.

Recently, a Chinese national flag was spotted alongside the Taegeukgi on a beach in Udo, Jeju, sparking controversy. SNS

According to Yonhap News, an official from Udo-myeon met directly with Mr. A, a man in his 50s who installed the Five-star Red Flag and other items. The official stated, "The man installed the Chinese flag and other items to create a photo zone to attract tourists. It was confirmed that he himself immediately removed the installation."

Mr. A is known to speak with a Joseonjok accent. The Udo-myeon official told Yonhap News, "We warned the man not to arbitrarily install (the Five-star Red Flag and other items) on public waters and told him not to do it again."

Recently, on social networking services (SNS) and online communities, a video showing the Taegeukgi and the Five-star Red Flag standing side by side on a beach in Udo has been spreading. The netizen who filmed the video said, "I don't know why the Five-star Red Flag was there, but I happened to spot it while touring Udo on an electric vehicle," and expressed concern, saying, "While we declare that Dokdo is our land, it feels as if we are giving Udo to China." As the controversy grew, Udo-myeon began investigating the circumstances, and the Five-star Red Flag was removed on July 9.

As the number of foreign visitors to Jeju has surged, there has been public outrage over several cases of Chinese nationals violating basic public order. According to the Jeju Police Agency, during the 100-day period from March 23 to June 30, a total of 4,806 violations of basic public order?such as jaywalking, littering, and urinating in public?were recorded as part of a "Special Security Response for Foreign Crime."

In April, a woman believed to be a Chinese tourist was caught on camera smoking inside a city bus and, when some passengers protested, throwing her cigarette butt out the window. In another incident in June of last year in Yeondong, a boy believed to be a Chinese tourist was seen relieving himself in a flower bed while a woman, presumed to be his guardian, looked on, sparking controversy.