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Cafe near Seoul Forest sparks controversy after banning Chinese customers

Published: 28 Oct. 2025, 14:24 Updated: 28 Oct. 2025, 17:25

A cafe in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, drew backlash after putting up a notice on its Instagram page that the store does "not accept Chinese guests." [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A cafe near Seoul Forest, one of the city’s popular tourist spots, has sparked controversy after posting a notice banning Chinese customers, prompting the local district chief to say he would try to persuade the business to withdraw the ban.

Chong Won-oh, head of Seoul’s Seongdong District Office, responded on Monday to a social media user who asked whether anything could be done about what they called a "discriminatory" establishment.

“I deeply sympathize with your concern,” Chong wrote on his social media account. “As Seongsu-dong has become one of Korea’s leading tourist destinations for both domestic and international visitors, I will do my best to persuade the business to change its stance.”

The cafe had earlier written in the English description section of its social media page: "We're sorry. We do not accept Chinese guests."

The post drew criticism after a Chinese influencer living in Korea with almost 200,000 Instagram followers claimed on social media that the cafe refused to let them in.

In a video, the influencer said, “This is the most racist cafe I’ve ever seen in Korea,” adding, "I can’t understand this level of hatred towards my country."

Korean social media users also condemned the cafe owner, with many calling the policy shameful and some comparing it to persecution in Nazi Germany.

"People should boycott places like these that commit such hateful acts," one user wrote.

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, KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]