Phenomenon of Chinese Tourists Being Forced by Tour Guides to Shop in South Korea, Fined If They Don't Buy

Fenomena Turis China Dipaksa Tour Guide Belanja Oleh-Oleh di Korea Selatan, Didenda Jika Tak Beli

The following is the translation of the given 'Bahasa' text to 'English' while preserving any HTML tags: "Phenomenon of Chinese Tourists Forced by Tour Guides to Shop for Souvenirs in South Korea, Fined if Not Purchasing"

"Dream - Recently, it was revealed that Chinese tourists are often forced by their tour guides to shop for souvenirs when visiting South Korea. According to documents presented by Kim Seung-su, a representative of the People Power Party, based on data from the Korea Tourism Organization, there have been 24 cases of this happening between 2017 and September of this year."

The report stated that several Chinese tourists were taken to shops and forced by tour guides in South Korea to buy cosmetic products, nutritional supplements, and duty-free goods.

Phenomenon of Chinese Tourists Being Forced by Tour Guides to Shop in South Korea, Fined If They Don't Buy

"The tour guide and leader took us to a ginseng shop in Seoul. They led us to a room, locked the door, and blocked the entrance."

A quote from a Chinese tourist translated into Korean, as quoted from the Korea Times.

"He also said, the group was taken to two more shops in remote locations, where some of the sellers were Chinese citizens. Another report explains that some guides did not allow the group to leave the shop unless they made a purchase and met the predetermined sales quota."

The tour guide claims that shopping is part of the requested tour program by the Korean government. Others even demand that these Chinese tourists pay for and participate in optional tour activities costing 400 yuan (around Rp867 thousand) when they refuse to shop.

If not, tourists must pay 1,500 yuan (about Rp3.2 million) as a fine and most people in the group choose to pay for the cheaper optional program.

According to KTO, more than 17 million Chinese people have visited South Korea since 2017. President of the Korea Tour Guide Association (KOTGA), Park In-sook, warned that such incidents can seriously damage the tourism industry in the long run.

"In September, the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA) also gathered domestic agents responsible for Chinese group tours and held a meeting to campaign against such coercive practices. 'Travel authorities should establish detailed and specific guidelines regarding unfair business practices in this industry, such as forced shopping, and mobilize administrative power to punish offenders,' he said."

The local Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism also announced plans to take action against the deemed unfair business practices. This ministry also plans to establish a reporting center to monitor such malpractices.

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