Unruly parents who let their kids defecate in the street have forced a local authority on a stunning holiday island to introduce new rules telling tourists how they should behave. The guidance for foreigners includes telling people not to smoke in restricted areas, drop litter or jaywalk – meaning to cross a road not at a designated crossing point.
However, more unusual requests include informing visitors they should not break into empty houses, use fake ID, or run away from restaurants without paying. The list also includes more common demands, such as warning people not to be drunk and disorderly and asking them not to urinate or defecate in public.
Jeju is South Korea’s largest island, three times bigger than Britain’s Isle of Wight, and attracts tourists from all over the world, including the UK, US, China, Europe and Australia. Authorities clamping down on misbehaving visitors is not unique to South Korea, on the Spanish island of Majorca unruly tourists can be fined more than £640 for some offences, and one popular Portuguese holiday town has issued a complete Code of Conduct for holidaymakers.
The BBC reports Jeju Police Agency chief Kim Su-young said the new guide aims to “prevent misunderstandings due to language and cultural differences and improve foreigners’ understanding of Korean culture and laws”.
It is the first time such advice has been issued and it has been printed in English, Chinese and Korean.
Offenders breaking the guidelines could face fines of up to 200,000 South Korean Won, the local currency, which is the equivalent of around £106.
According to the South Korean tourist board, Jeju Island can welcome up to 70,000 British tourists every month, a huge increase from just under 10,000 a month in 2021.
Overall, more than 7.1 million foreign travellers headed to the island from January 1 up to July 22, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.
As well as beautiful beaches, Jeju is also famous for the quirky fertility statues carved from local volcanic rock. The Dol Hareubang, or ‘stone grandfathers’, are believed to date back more than 500 years and are said to symbolise spiritual protection and aid fertility.
Jeju Island was formed by the violent eruption of a submerged volcano around two million years ago. The incredible Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, which are now thankfully filled with pools of water and not lava, can now be accessed by tourists and are listed as a natural World Heritage Site.