Chinese travellers are returning in droves to Jeju Island, a popular South Korean holiday destination, but this surge in tourist dollars comes with an undesirable side effect: crime.
According to Jeju Provincial Police and the Jeju Tourism Association, the number of visitors from China to the island – the filming location of the K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines – rose from 410,000 in 2023 to 1.38 million last year, The Korea Times newspaper reported.
Overall tourist figures rose from 80,000 in 2022 to 700,000 in 2023 and 1.9 million last year, with Chinese visitors making up for 58.5 per cent in 2023 and 72.6 per cent last year.
However, this increase comes with a corresponding rise in foreign criminal activity – from in the 500s during the pandemic to 608 in 2023.
Chinese nationals committed the most crimes by foreigners, accounting for 66 per cent between 2019 and 2023 and 67 per cent in 2023 alone.
The criminals have also become smarter and more violent.
