It was recently claimed that tourists were locked up and forced to buy goods on Ulleungdo Island, but it turned out to be a lie.

The incident began on October 23 when a YouTuber, identified as A, uploaded a video titled "Ulleungdo Package Tour Forced Sales Incident."

In the video, YouTuber A claimed that on the last day of the package tour, a tour bus stopped at a local specialty product shop, and the tour guide led 30 passengers into a storage room and locked the door.

A also claimed to have been told that unless each person purchased 300,000 won worth of local specialties, they would not be given their return ferry tickets.

A further claimed to have been released after reporting the incident to the police and the Korea Coast Guard, and even received compensation for emotional distress from the guide.

However, after checking with the police and the coast guard, Ulleung County confirmed that no reports matching the claims made in the video had ever been filed.

The video also used unrelated stock footage instead of scenes directly verifying the situation at the time, and the voiceover is presumed to have been generated by AI.

Ulleung County stated that it plans to take legal action, noting that fabricated misinformation could inflict damage on local residents and the tourism industry.

(Photo courtesy of Ulleung County Office)