Police on the South Korean island of Jeju rolled out a new tool to manage growing complaints about misbehaviour by foreign tourists, reports The Korea Times.
Printed in English, Chinese and Korean, the etiquette notices now being distributed in the picturesque holiday destination are the first of their kind in the country. The Jeju Provincial Police announced Monday that they’ve printed 8,000 copies, which will be distributed manually to alert foreigners to local laws and customs. Minor offenses listed range from fines of 20,000 won (US$14) for things like jaywalking and trespassing to 80,000 won (US$57) for more serious crimes, including carrying a concealed weapon. First-time violators may be let off with a warning but repeat offenders can incur a fine of up to 200,000 won (US$143), according to copies of the notice shared by police.
Officers hope that offering a warning first will help defuse tensions with tourists and reduce police workload. More than 7 million people have visited the island this year, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.
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The majority, some 5.86 million, have been domestic tourists but that figure marks a decline of 9.3 percent from the same time last year. Foreign tourist arrivals jumped 14.2 percent to over 1.16 million, fuelled by a surge in July, up 40 percent from 2024. It’s a promising sign for the local economy, which took in a record 9.26 trillion won (US$6.61 billion) last year from foreign visitors.
It’s also become a growing source of tension as viral episodes of smoking in prohibited areas and public urination amplified complaints. The etiquette notices come after a 100-day special campaign, beginning in March, in which the Jeju Provincial Police Agency targeted violations by foreign visitors, recording more than 4,800 cases of disorderly conduct. A group of local elementary school students submitted a proposal in July to address this long-standing issue in Jeju.
Their proposal centred on better reporting avenues – the current process for foreigners is too slow for real-time interventions – and distributing stickers or pamphlets at airports that outline key conduct rules. It would seem the police agreed with their idea, even if they took a more inexpensive route of distributing notices as needed.
