Chinese tourist faces backlash for allowing child to defecate in public at Jeju natural monument
Published: 09 Oct. 2025, 09:49
Updated: 09 Oct. 2025, 19:30
![A Chinese tourist allows her young child to relieve themselves at Jeju’s Yongmeorihaean, a coast that’s been designated as a natural monument. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/09/cd7f89ed-a94e-4092-a1c2-e9e29b7d0561.jpg)
A Chinese tourist allows her young child to relieve themselves at Jeju’s Yongmeorihaean, a coast that’s been designated as a natural monument. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
A Chinese tourist was caught allowing her young child to relieve themselves at Jeju’s Yongmeorihaean, a coast that has been designated as a natural monument, contaminating the site in the process.
A post was uploaded online on Tuesday describing the incident, which occurred the previous day during the Chuseok holiday. The netizen said they were visiting the coastal site with family when they witnessed the scene.
“It was very crowded, and there was a long line of people waiting,” the post said. “Then I saw a woman seating her child on the ground to defecate. Because there were so many people watching, she moved slightly farther down and finished there.”
According to the netizen, the woman threw used wet wipes into the sea and left the child’s waste on the ground.
“It was unbelievable,” the post reads. “A person who seemed to be the group’s tour guide was nearby but said nothing, and no one stopped her even though many people saw it.”
When asked, the guide reportedly said the group was composed of ethnic Chinese tourists from China.
“I try not to hold prejudice against Chinese travelers,” the post said, “but this makes it difficult.”
A photo attached to the post showed a woman crouching and holding a small child near the shoreline.
The post quickly spread across online communities and social media, drawing widespread criticism of the woman’s behavior.
![Young child traveling with his parents in Jeju is seen defecating on a street in Jeju City, sparking public outrage in June, 2024. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/09/9dcd90a9-9f84-4d60-9d96-8940ce30fee0.jpg)
Young child traveling with his parents in Jeju is seen defecating on a street in Jeju City, sparking public outrage in June, 2024. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Similar incidents have been reported in Jeju in the past. Last June, a foreign child was seen defecating on a street in Jeju City, sparking public outrage.
According to the Jeju Police Agency, from January to May this year, 3,522 out of 4,136 cases of public disorder involved foreign nationals — over 85 percent of the total. Compared to the same period last year, overall violations rose by 817 percent, while the number involving foreigners increased nearly 23-fold, from 148 to 3,522.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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