South Korea’s “Tourist Police” Arrive – Fluent in Japanese, English, and Chinese to Protect Travelers from Scams

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The South Korean government has launched a “Tourist Police” unit, whose members are proficient in various languages including English, Japanese, and Chinese. Their mission is to prevent tourists from being overcharged while traveling around Seoul. Notably, the “Tourist Police” wear dark blue uniforms designed by PSY’s go-to designer and made their first appearance “riding” the horse-riding dance, arriving in Seoul.

The first batch of tourist police consists of about 100 young men and women with language expertise. They will be deployed at popular Seoul attractions such as Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, Insadong, Hongdae, Cheonggyecheon, and areas around Seoul City Hall, primarily handling tourism-related issues such as poor service attitudes by shops and illegal taxis.

One member, Park Jae-Hyoung (phonetic), told AFP: “If tourists suspect that a taxi driver or street vendor is overcharging them, they can come to us. We’ll help resolve the issue.” (Source: Central News Agency)