Koreans say they ”didn't know it was illegal” when cracking down on nuisance behavior by Chinese tourists

Some Chinese tourists visiting Jeju Island in South Korea have come under fire for their excessive and nuisance behavior. According to Channel A on the 4th, some Chinese tourists have recently been
They have been seen smoking in non-smoking areas, such as Seongsan Ilchulbong, a designated natural heritage site, and carelessly throwing away cigarette butts.
They heard a Chinese announcement at Seongsan Ilchulbong saying, "If you smoke in a non-smoking area, you will be fined."
In fact, five of the 12 cigarette butts found in the park were confirmed to be from China.
Mr. A, who works at the management office, told the media that most of the smokers are Chinese. Mr. A said, "Are you listening or pretending not to hear?
"I don't know," he said, "When people come to complain and say, 'There's someone smoking,' they're all Chinese."
Complaints continued, and on the 25th of last month, Jeju police carried out a "crackdown on basic regulations for foreigners."
However, the Chinese tourists who were arrested at the time responded with complaints such as, "We didn't know it was illegal," "We're frustrated that they made us pay a fine even though we didn't know," and "Why are they cracking down on only Chinese people?"
A police source said, "When we talk to arrested foreigners, in many cases it seems to be due to cultural differences rather than malice," and "Guides often behave badly towards the foreign tourists they are taking in.
"I think it would make a big difference if they would explain in advance about basic violations of the rules, such as crossing the roads without permission," he said. Some people have said that the behavior of some Chinese tourists is a negative reaction to Chinese people in general.
According to Korea Tourism Statistics, the number of Chinese tourists who visited Korea in April was 411,331, down 288% from the same month last year (105,967).
1. The number of cases increased by 1.5%. This is the highest figure since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Meanwhile, a child believed to be a Chinese tourist was recently found defecating in downtown Jeju.
The video was released, raising eyebrows among netizens. The sight of the Chinese mother watching the video without stopping it drew an overwhelming response from local netizens, who expressed their embarrassment.
In relation to this, Taiwan's Liberty Times published an article titled "Will Cheju Island become a Chinese island? South Korean government busy cleaning up after itself," in which it said, "In 2008, South Korea allowed Chinese people to travel without a visa.
"As a result, Cheju Island has suddenly become a popular overseas travel destination for Chinese people."