Italian newspaper: Love motels taint Korea’ image as host to F1

Italia’s largest-selling newspaper launched a harsh criticism on South Korea’s overall lack of preparations as the host to the Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix, including not enough adequate lodgings for participants, but enough love motels in the vicinity they found inadequate to stay.

Corriere della Sera, a Milan-based daily, on Friday, ran an article, titled “F1 teams tumble down to sex motels.”

The newspaper pointed out the isolated location of the race venue where there are not enough lodgings to house some 1,500 people for the event.

Participants of the event had to drive more than an hour to the nearby city of Gwangju. But, unfortunately, what they found were mostly love motels.

“These love motels are numerous but dirty inside. Some rooms have a shower facility for two people to take shower together so that people can vacate the room faster. There is no furniture in the room. But every room has condoms,” Yonhap News Agency said Saturday, citing the report.

The “ubiquity” of love motels in South Korea are often cited in web blogs of foreign travelers to the nation. For example, Christine Ka'aloa, who runs a blog, “Grrrl Traveler,” said: “Love motels are primarily geared for couples wanting private loving away from the stern eyes of their parents … maybe even wives!”

Although the Italian newspaper gave a high mark for Yeongam in South Jeolla Province for its scenery, yet as the venue for the event, it gave a rather discrediting remark.

“The reason this site was chosen as the venue for F1 when the facilities were completed just days before the actual event, was likely due to the sponsorship of South Korean conglomerate companies,” it said, according to Yonhap.

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