 |
| Myeong-dong, a tourist hotspot in central Seoul, is filled with locals and tourists, Friday. Korea Times photo by Lee Yeon-woo |
Southeast Asian tourists fill void left by Chinese visitors
By Lee Yeon-woo
"What will you buy? I want to buy the NCT one," one woman who wore a lavender-colored hijab said to her friend. "I will buy this, BTS," her friend answered. The two friends were standing in front of a street vendor who sells popular K-pop themed socks in Myeong-dong, a famous shopping district for locals and tourists in central Seoul, Friday.
"We love, love K-pop," Sri Nuryati, a 31-year-old Indonesian said enthusiastically to The Korea Times. She was holding a black plastic bag which was stuffed with the socks she bought.
 |
Nuryati said visiting Korea had been a dream of hers for years. She wanted to experience the country which produced her favorite K-pop artist, NCT.
"As soon as COVID-19 ended, I was like 'Now it's time, pack your bag, and go go go,'" Nuryati added with a big laugh.
On Friday, Myeong-dong was filled with tourists carrying shopping bags, who could not stop taking photos every few steps. They attentively listened to various shopping assistants' explanations about Korean cosmetic products and munched on street food as they walked.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 539,273 tourists visited Korea last December, which is a whopping 498.2 percent increase from the same month of 2021. Japanese tourists topped the list, followed by visitors from the United States, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.
Tourists are returning to Myeong-dong. As an iconic tourist destination in Seoul, COVID-19 certainly dealt a severe blow. The decrease in the number of tourists during the pandemic caused a 60 percent drop in sales, adding to the financial hardships of merchants in the area. The situation was compounded by the suspension of short-term visas for visitors from China, who comprised a significant proportion of inbound tourists.
 |
| K-pop albums and merchandise such as photo cards, stickers and posters are displayed at Buru Tteurak, Myeong-dong, central Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Lee Yeon-woo |
Small business owners and street vendors in Myeong-dong said tourists from Southeast Asia have filled the void left by Chinese tourists, thanks to the K-pop boom.
"More than half of my customers come from Southeast Asia," said Kwon Jeong-sook, the owner of the Buru Tteurak, a record shop. Kwon has been running the shop since 1978. The first floor of the shop is filled with CDs and various K-pop merchandise such as photo cards, stickers and calendars.
For more than 40 years, Kwon has observed how "K-culture" has influenced different countries.
"First, it was Japan. The popularity of dramas such as 'Autumn in My Heart' and 'Winter Sonata' drew so many Japanese customers ... Later with the success of K-POP idols, a lot of Southeast Asian customers started to visit here," Kwon said.
Another vendor, who sells souvenirs in one of the many back alleys of Myeong-dong, said, "I have placed this K-pop merchandise at the very front of my stall. From time to time I have tourists from Japan and Europe, but most tourists who come here are from Southeast Asia … These are the things that are popular among them nowadays."
Two tourists from Malaysia, who asked to be identified only by their first names Tira and Yunlee, said that visiting Korea is now "trendy" in their country.
"Youths in Malaysia look up to Korean style and hope to come here one day. I think that's because things such as Tik Tok have influenced them a lot. Even the accommodation we are staying in, which is near here, is also full [of Southeast Asian tourists]," Yunlee said.
When asked to rate Korea's popularity as a tourist destination in Malaysia, the respondents gave a score of seven to eight out of 10.
 |
| People eat street food in Myeong-dong, central Seoul. Korea Times photo by Lee Yeon-woo |
Even though tourists are returning, merchants in Myeong-dong are still slowly recovering from years of losses.
Many small business owners and vendors who were questioned had high hopes that Chinese tourists would return, as Korea announced on Friday that it will resume issuing short-term visas for travelers from China this weekend.
"Chinese tourists are the 'big guns' of the market. If they eat something, and they feel it's good, they buy it in bulk to share with friends and family," Lee Kang-soo, a manager of the Myeong-dong vendors' union, said. He has run a stall selling skewered pork belly since 2002.
"Even though we are still suffering financially, I'm grateful that I can come out and run a business here. I halted my business during COVID-19 and restarted it last November. Many vendors in Myeong-dong are just trying to survive and hoping that things will get better little by little," he added.
![[INTERVIEW] How AmazeVR revolutionizes aespa's LYNK-POP concert](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/4431833759c44bdaa414cb314e90f2fe.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
