‘Beach drinking’ continues… Tens of thousands of people flock to Jeju during the Liberation Day holiday

The breakwater of Samyang Beach in Jeju City at 10:30 pm on the 10th. At a glance, more than 100 people were lining up along the breakwater and eating beer and chicken. A drinking party was also held on a nearby wooden deck. As I got closer to the loud conversation, the smell of alcohol vibrated.

They came to this place when they were unable to use restaurants or pubs after 10 pm due to the implementation of the 3rd stage of distancing in Jeju Island. Those who visited the beach seemed to observe the limit of the number of people who could gather up to four people. However, most of them were not wearing masks, and it was difficult to find people who kept personal distance. A nearby resident, 40-year-old Moon Mo (40), complained, “When the sun goes down, tourists and Jeju-doers alike come to this place to drink and have a drink, so there is a lot of concern about getting infected with COVID-19.”

People who visited Samyang Beach in Jeju City at 10:30 pm on the 10th are sitting down and eating food. Correspondent Choi Choong-il

According to the Jeju Tourism Association, the cumulative number of tourists who visited Jeju this year was 7,019,566 as of the 11th of this month, exceeding 7 million. This is a 17.3% increase from 5,985,038 people in the same period last year. It was more than a month earlier than on September 17, when the number of people surpassed 7 million last year. Jeju Island’s quarantine authorities are tense as this trend continues and at least 100,000 tourists are expected to visit Jeju during the upcoming Liberation Day holiday (14th to 16th).

People who visited Samyang Beach in Jeju City at 10:30 pm on the 10th are sitting down, eating food, or taking a walk. Most of the people who came here were not wearing masks properly. Correspondent Choi Choong-il

Around 2,000 confirmed cases are pouring out from all over the country every day, and especially since the summer vacation season, which was from the end of July to the beginning of August, continues until the end of August due to Corona 19, this Liberation Day holiday is expected to be the biggest turning point in the prevention of COVID-19. According to the ‘Summer Season Jeju Travel Planning Survey’ released by Jeju Island and the Jeju Tourism Organization on the 26th of last month, the rate of choosing August (85.8%) as the time to plan a summer trip to Jeju was significantly higher than July (14.2%). According to the tourism industry in the province, in some luxury hotels, most of the available room reservations are full due to social distancing during this holiday period. In addition, the reservation rate for rental cars in the province is at 80%.

Lim Tae-bong, head of the Jeju Corona Virus Prevention Response Team, said, “When traveling to Jeju, you may inadvertently cause damage to other people or inflict damage on yourself during tourism such as airplanes, restaurants, and cafes. Please be sure to follow the quarantine measures in daily life, such as prohibiting private gatherings of more than one person, wearing a mask, and washing hands.”

Jeju = Correspondent Choi Choong-il choi.choongil@joongang.co.kr