A coffee shop in Shengshuidong, Chengdong District, Seoul, which is popular among foreign tourists, recently triggered heated public opinion by posting an announcement on social platforms to "refuse China guests." Zheng Yuanwu, mayor of Chengdong District, said that he would "do his best to persuade the industry" to prevent the incident from spreading further.

A coffee shop in Seongshudong, Seoul announced that it would not receive Chinese guests, which triggered a heated discussion among Korean and Chinese netizens. (Retrieved from @ permanent.habitat/IG)

China Red Exposure

The coffee shop, called "P Café," is located near Seoul Rim in Seongsudong, according to Chosun Ilbo. Recently, its official Instagram account wrote in the profile column: "I'm very sorry, but our store does not accept Chinese customers." The content quickly spread online, causing a lot of criticism that it was "taking the lead in creating discrimination." As of now, the statement has not been taken down or revised.

The incident was first exposed by "Henry" in online celebrity, China, Korea. On the 22nd, he posted on social media that he was turned away because he was Chinese, criticizing the store as "the most racist store I have ever seen in South Korea". "I don't understand why people hate Chinese people so much," he wrote, questioning the owner: "Who taught you to do business like this?" While warning: "Look how much your turnover will drop."

The district mayor responded

Subsequently, a netizen on the social platform X on the 27th (originally Twitter) asked the city east district chief Zhengzhou: "There are shops with racial discrimination in the district, can not be punished?" Zhengzhou replied, understanding the public's unrest, and said that the St. Water Cave has become Seoul's representative international tourist area, "the district government will try its best to persuade the industry to avoid damaging the image of the region."

Worried about affecting Korean guests

Faced with external criticism, the store owner said in an interview that the decision to "do not accept Chinese guests" was not out of hatred or discrimination, but "based on overall operational considerations". he said that in recent years, anti-China sentiment in South Korea has risen, "if Chinese customers come to the store, the Korean guests will be clear reaction", so choose to take this temporary measure.

South Korean public opinion is polarized

This matter caused strong controversy in Korean society. Some netizens believe that "just like a store that 'forbids children to enter', businesses have the right to decide their own recipients"; However, many people criticized this practice as "obviously constituting nationality discrimination" and asked, "If other countries prohibit Koreans from entering, can we accept it?"

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Compilation link:https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/5226503