Jeju tourism hit by safety concerns after mishandled missing person cases
Jeju's reputation as a safe travel destination is coming under strain after police prematurely closed a missing person case and several missing people were later found dead. With domestic visitor numbers falling, concerns are growing over safety on the island. According to the Jeju Tourism Association on Sunday, domestic visitor numbers fell year-on-year on all but one day between Aug. 19 and…
Jeju's reputation as a safe travel destination is under threat following police mishandling of missing person cases, leading to growing safety concerns among tourists. Domestic visitor numbers on the island have declined year-on-year between August 19 and August 29, with August 19 marking when the premature closure of a missing person case began causing widespread public concern.
Seo Ye-bin, a 26-year-old graduate student, had planned a trip to Jeju with her family in early September but decided to change her destination to Gangwon Province due to recent incidents. "People are even sharing maps showing where missing-person cases have occurred. It just feels unsettling to visit Jeju right now," she stated.
The fallout appears to primarily affect Korean travelers, according to a guesthouse operator in Jeju City. "We've had some cancellations, and almost all of them were from Korean guests, so I think that's what's most impacting us," the operator explained.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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