"BTS Fans Came..."... Foreigners Face 'Gangmae' Pervasiveness on Myeongdong Street

Internet Price 950 Won Mask Pack Sold for 13,750 Won
Requests Another Card Claiming Payment Fails, Causing Double Payment

"I am really embarrassed. If I go back after being overcharged, won't I only develop bad feelings about Korea?"

Foreign tourist Rodrigo Monsonis is seen protesting with police officers from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Tourist Police Unit at a cosmetics store in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, around 4 p.m. on the 2nd.
Photo by Tae-won Choi skking@

Office worker Kim (42, male) expressed his frustration like this after his Spanish friend was overcharged while visiting Korea. Rodrigo Monsonis (53, female), who lives in Spain, is an ardent fan of BTS. Her fandom led to an interest in Korea. She watched videos related to Korea and built a friendship with Kim through online penpals, gradually nurturing her dream of traveling to Korea. As the COVID-19 situation eased this year and air routes reopened, Monsonis boarded a flight to Korea. While having a happy time with Kim volunteering as her Korean guide, a problem occurred on the 1st when Kim was away from his post due to work.

Monsonis's trip began to unravel around 2 p.m. that day when she stopped alone at a cosmetics store in Myeongdong. She picked up six eye creams worth 230,000 KRW and skin products worth 280,000 KRW and went to the checkout. The clerk said her card was not approved and asked for another card. While she was looking for another card, the staff kept insisting she buy mask packs, and flustered, she ended up purchasing 40 mask packs worth 550,000 KRW that she did not want. Monsonis recalled, "I did not want to buy the mask packs at all. It was practically a forced sale."

Back at her accommodation, Monsonis noticed something strange while checking her phone. There was a payment of about 230,000 KRW on the first card, which was said to have been declined. Also, the mask packs she bought at 13,750 KRW each were found online to cost about 950 KRW each. She explained the situation to Kim and the next day around 3:30 p.m., she visited the Myeongdong Center of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Tourist Police for help.

After visiting the Tourist Police and the store, Monsonis eventually received a full refund. She said, "I liked Korea because I am a BTS fan, and this was my first trip here, but I was victimized. I hope this issue becomes widely known so that similar incidents never happen again." She added, "Still, thanks to Kim and the police who helped me well, I do not have bad feelings about Korea. I am leaving soon and want to depart with good memories."

Kim said, "When I searched the cosmetics store on the internet, I found that there are more than just one or two foreign victims who suffered similar damage. With many tourists coming to Korea due to K-pop and other influences, it is very embarrassing as a Korean that they are being overcharged and forced to buy things."

As the COVID-19 situation eases, forced sales and overcharging targeting foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong are resurfacing. The number of overseas travelers visiting Korea in May increased about 18 times compared to the previous year. According to data analyzed by Trip.com on May 3, based on reservations for trips departing in May, demand for travel to Korea increased by 1,738% worldwide.

Accordingly, reports of overcharging and forced sales targeting foreign tourists are also increasing. According to a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Tourist Police official, reports of forced sales and overcharging on Myeongdong streets come in every day without fail. Shin Dong-ju, team leader of the Seoul Tourist Police, said, "Previously, there were many such (overcharging and forced sales) incidents, but they disappeared as foreign tourists decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, with the rapid increase in foreign tourists, forced sales and overcharging problems have reemerged."

Meanwhile, it is known that many victims of such forced sales and overcharging are Japanese tourists. A police officer explained, "The most reports of such damage come from Japanese tourists. It seems that merchants take advantage of their tendency not to protest actively."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.