Jeju, the 'Hawaii of South Korea', cracks down on misbehaving foreign visitors

In response to a series of viral incidents involving disorderly conduct, the island authorities have distributed 8,000 copies of a guide outlining minor offenses for which tourists can be fined, CNN reported.

The guide, available in Korean, English, and Chinese, aims to "prevent misunderstandings due to language and cultural differences and improve foreigners' understanding of Korean culture and laws," according to Jeju Police Agency chief Kim Su-young.

The guide covers various misdemeanors, including smoking in non-designated areas, littering, jaywalking, public drunkenness, and environmental damage.

Using a fake ID, being drunk and disorderly, or running away from restaurants without paying will also be subject to fines, as well as breaking into empty houses.

Misbehavior could result in fines ranging from 20,000 won ($14.36) to 80,000 won ($57.43), the guidelines obtained by The Korea Times show.

Repeat offenders could be fined as much as 200,000 won and breaking the rules may also lead to imprisonment for a misdemeanor, The Independent reported.

The number of foreign visitors to Jeju has surged nearly fourfold since the end of the Covid pandemic, reaching 1.9 million in 2024, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.

Locals have voiced complaints about the unruly behavior of foreign tourists, with some sharing their frustrations on social media.

In April, a video of a foreign tourist smoking on a bus in Jeju went viral, sparking outrage among South Korean netizens.

"Deport and fine that person right now. If they don't pay the fine, ban them from buying a flight ticket," one netizen wrote under the Instagram video.

Last summer, images of a foreign child defecating on a sidewalk in Jeju also went viral, leading many to call for harsher penalties for international tourists.