A cafe in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, Seoul, which has emerged in recent years as a "hot place" drawing many foreign tourists, has sparked controversy by posting that it would not accept Chinese customers. Seongdong District Chief Jeong Won-o said the district would try to persuade the owner to accept Chinese customers again.
An internet user asked District Chief Jeong on X (Twitter) on the 27th, "There is such a racist store in Seongdong District—are there no ways to sanction it?" The user also posted a captured image from the Instagram of "P Cafe" near Seoul Forest in Seongsu-dong.
P Cafe wrote on Instagram, "We're sorry, we do not accept Chinese guests." As of 11 a.m. on the 28th, the notice remains unchanged.
In response, District Chief Jeong said, "I deeply share the concern you sent," and added, "As Seongsu-dong is emerging as one of Korea's representative tourist destinations visited by people from many countries, we will make every effort to persuade the establishment as much as possible."
The fact that the cafe does not accept Chinese customers became known after "Henry," a Chinese influencer living in Korea, criticized it on the 22nd as "the most racist cafe I've seen in Korea."
On Instagram, Henry said in English, "A person who came a long way specifically to this cafe was not welcomed because the person is Chinese," and added, "I don't understand why you hate this country (China) so much." Henry continued, "Who taught you to run a business like this? Let's see how your sales drop from now on."
The post drew more than 1,000 comments. One internet user said, "If (Chinese people) visit Korea, be quiet on public transportation and in public facilities. Don't smoke indoors, and be kind to clerks," adding, "That store would not refuse Chinese people for no reason." Another internet user wrote, "Before talking about racism and such, please tell your people to keep their manners when they come for tourism."
On the other hand, another internet user said, "Meeting a few rude people in China, which has a much larger population, does not represent the whole," and added, "Respect other cultures and do not justify racism."
ChosunBiz made several calls to the cafe to ask why it does not accept Chinese customers, but could not reach anyone. The cafe's Instagram account is currently set so that direct messages (DMs) cannot be sent, and email also appears to be set to reject incoming messages.