Strong crackdown on Myeong-dong hawkers

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Myeong-dong, Seoul’s major leisure and business district, known for its endless streams of shoppers, was also famous for noisy touts.

However, stroll along its busiest alleys these days and it’s hard to find those aggressive sales assistants who used to shout in Chinese and Japanese and feed leaflets to pedestrians.

The Jung-gu ward office has been cracking down on the employment and activity of touts since last week, responding to increasing irritation expressed by locals and tourists.

"It wasn’t a pleasant experience to walk around Myeong-dong since I had to shake off touts or reject shopping baskets suddenly held out in front of me every few steps. Sometimes, they would prevent me from going into one shop and instead insist on another,’’ said one shopper.

``The streets now feel as if they are less crowded and look cleaner, without those clownishly dressed touts flocking in front of cosmetics shops.’’

While the touts in Myeong-dong pushed a broad range of items, whether it was drinks, barbeque or shirts, those employed by cosmetics shops were clearly the most visible and audible.

Fluent in Japanese and Chinese, these fancily-dressed clerks would randomly drag women walking nearby into shops to push new lotions, powders and lip gloss.

Cosmetics shops have engaged in a cut-throat battle in the streets of Myeong-dong as Korean products are popular among travelers from Asia for their quality and relative cheapness.

According to Jung-gu officials, there are more than 70 cosmetics stores in Myeong-dong alone, not counting the stalls in shopping malls or those operated by street vendors.

Jung-gu officials admitted limitations as their inspection squad can’t stay in Myeong-dong all the time. Currently, the district office assigns two to four people to crack down on touts for about two hours every afternoon.

"The purpose of the crackdown is to protect consumers," Jeong Jeon-jae of the Jung-gu office said.

"We have received complaints from Japanese tourists and the Myeong-dong Special Tourist Zone Association to improve the area’s image."

Those who are caught harassing shoppers will be charged and could face a fine of up to 100,000 won. The district office will also run random inspections.

"We will only crack down on those who physically draw or give samples to passersby and it is all right to hand out shopping baskets or samples to customers going into the shops," Jeong said.

"We hope the crackdown will change excessive touting on the street."

Apparently, old habits die hard. Some cosmetic shops watch the streets, see that the inspectors are gone, and send their staff out again.

"We earn more than 10 million won a day on weekends and just cannot give up touting. Moreover, the contract with the sales assistants are not finished yet and they have to do something," a manager of a cosmetics shop in Myeong-dong said.

Another said, "No famous tourist destination exists without touting. It can fun for travelers as long as it is kept within limits."