Recently, there have been numerous instances of impolite behavior exhibited by some Chinese tourists in Jeju Island, South Korea, such as defecating in public, jaywalking, littering, which have fueled the anger of South Korean nationals towards Chinese people and even the Chinese Communist Party. In response to these behaviors, the South Korean police have implemented special regulations.
In recent days, posts circulating on various online communities in South Korea have shed light on a convenience store frequented by Chinese tourists in Jeju. Photos shared online show the store littered with trash such as used instant noodle containers, beverage bottles, face masks, ice cream wrappers, with food soup leaking on the floor, and even garbage brought in from outside piled on top of the fridge, creating a very messy environment.
Despite a sign in Chinese on the store’s wall reminding to clean up after eating, it seems to have little effect.
South Korean media has extensively covered the incident, describing the convenience store visited by Chinese tourists as “a wasteland,” “trash horror,” and “shocking.”
Additionally, in early June, several online communities in South Korea circulated a post titled “Chinese People are Going Too Far, Everyone Must See This!” accompanied by a photo. The photo shows a young child defecating next to a tree on a busy street in Lian Dong, Jeju. A Chinese woman, presumably the child’s mother, stood by, with another female companion, amidst many passing pedestrians.
The person who uploaded the post was very angry, reported the incident to the police, and questioned in the post, “Why tarnish other countries?” Another local who was present tried to intervene but was ignored.
This incident has sparked widespread outrage among the South Korean public.
In response to the disrespectful behavior of some Chinese tourists, Seo Kyung-duk, a South Korean propaganda expert and professor at Chengxin Women’s University, expressed concerns on his Facebook on June 24. He said that if such disgraceful conduct is allowed to continue, it will tarnish the image of Jeju Island, urging the South Korean government to take self-rescue measures.
Subsequently, the South Korean police took action.
On June 25, the Jeju police conducted special regulations in the Jewon intersection area in Jeju City, where there is a significant flow of foreign tourists, focusing on enforcing road-crossing rules to prevent accidents. Prior incidents in Seoul, Incheon, and Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province involving Chinese tourists jaywalking have resulted in fatalities.
That day, the Jeju police processed four Chinese tourists for jaywalking and one for littering cigarette butts within an hour and fined them.
Among them, a couple nonchalantly jaywalked while being watched by South Korean police, and even protested to the police after being fined, saying, “Chinese public security does not fine for jaywalking,” “Didn’t expect jaywalking to be an issue.”
Some Chinese tourists shed tears when caught jaywalking by the police and complained, “Why only restrict the Chinese?”
Others expressed, “We are here to travel, why all this hassle?” and “Never coming back!”
According to the police, as of June 21 this year, 353 instances of unauthorized jaywalking were recorded in Jeju, with foreign nationals accounting for 70.3% (248 cases).
This year, there has been a significant increase in Chinese tourists visiting South Korea, especially Jeju. According to Jeju Tourism Association, preliminary statistics show that this year, 883,450 foreign tourists visited Jeju, more than four times the number from the same period last year, with Chinese tourists accounting for over 80%.
Commentator Xia Yifan expressed to Dajiyuan on July 1 that the “lack of benevolence in their hearts and irrational behavior” exhibited by Chinese people is a result of the Chinese Communist Party encouraging class struggle through various “campaigns,” allowing people to disregard social norms and morals.
Traditional Chinese values emphasize virtue and propriety, which have become distant under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
“It can be said that the Chinese Communist Party has turned Chinese people into crude and arrogant ‘Wolf Warriors’ and pushed them onto the world stage,” he said.