Police have warned against hate speech and protests targeting Chinese tourists arriving in South Korea under its new visa-free entry program, while President Lee Jae Myung denounced the spread of "groundless rumors and hate speech targeting certain countries and their nationals."
About 1,700 Chinese tourists arrived in South Korea on Sept. 29, the first day of the program for group travelers. The government expects around 1 million Chinese tourists by June next year.
In the lead-up to the program's launch and afterwards, explicit anti-China protests have taken place in parts of Seoul, while negative opinions over the visa policy have spread quickly online.
Rumors have circulated that criminals or people seeking to stay illegally were exploiting the visa waiver program to enter the country, and one post even implied committing a crime against Chinese nationals.
President Lee, slamming the public display of hatred toward certain countries and their nationals, said such actions amount to “self-destructive behavior that damages the national interest and image” and must be eliminated.
Presiding over a senior aides’ meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Lee said, “If 10 million more tourists come, it produces a tremendous export effect. We must never allow such uncultured and degrading acts that undermine our national dignity.”
Authorities have already restricted anti-China protests near Myeong-dong, a popular shopping district in central Seoul. One of the protest organizers has taken the protest ban to court, arguing that the government excessively infringes on freedom of expression.
The court will soon decide whether to grant the request to block the government measure.
shinjh@heraldcorp.com
