A witness account that a Chinese tourist let a child relieve herself at Yongmeori Coast in Jeju, which is designated as a natural monument, then left without cleaning up, is spreading online and stirring controversy.
On the 6th, a post by a person identified as A said they visited Yongmeori Coast in Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, with family for the Chuseok holiday on an online community. A photo released with the post shows a woman squatting while holding her daughter.
A said, "I saw a woman making a child relieve herself," and added, "As more people gathered, she moved a little and had the child finish, then left the wet wipes and the feces as they were and walked away." A also wrote, "A little later, companions who appeared to be her husband and son showed up, but they acted as if nothing was wrong," adding that when they asked someone who seemed to be the on-site guide, they were told the tourists were Chinese of Korean descent.
Yongmeori Coast is a landform resembling a dragon's head dipping into the sea, and for its high scenic value as a coastal erosion cliff, it was designated Natural Monument No. 526 in January 2011. As a natural terrain where waves meet cliffs, its access paths are narrow, and the tide rises quickly, making it known to be difficult for staff to control.
Meanwhile, unruly behavior by foreign tourists has repeatedly sparked controversy in Jeju. In June last year, a foreign child defecated by the roadside on Yeondong Street in Jeju City, and on 4th, a video spread of a foreign woman smoking on a city bus and being stopped by passengers and the driver, drawing criticism.