Jeju Vice Governor Sparks Backlash with Suggestion to Provide Driving Training for Chinese Tourists

During the first expanded executive meeting of the 9th Jeju Provincial Government held on July 2, a surprising remark was made by the Vice Governor of Administration in response to a question from Jeju Governor Wi Seong-gon, who had asked for ideas on how to encourage tourists to spend more money.

The Vice Governor suggested providing short-term training to Chinese tourists so they could immediately rent and drive cars in Jeju.

[Park Cheon-su / Jeju Vice Governor of Administration: A large portion of individual tourists are Chinese, and I understand they currently cannot use rental cars because they cannot drive. So, if necessary, I think we should consider it as a form of deregulation, such as providing short-term training for a few hours to enable them to drive.]

Following these remarks, the internet was in an uproar.

Criticism poured in, with comments such as, "Do you think Jeju Island is a driving practice range?", "Who will take responsibility if an accident occurs?", and "Do you not know why international driving permit regulations exist?"

Similar controversies have emerged over the past decade.

In 2014, the government attempted to allow Chinese tourists to use rental cars through an amendment to the Special Act on the Establishment of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Development of an International Free City, but the plan was withdrawn due to opposition from local residents and concerns over accidents.

In 2024, the possibility of allowing Chinese tourists to drive rental cars was reviewed at the National Police Agency level as part of discussions on the mutual recognition of driver's licenses between South Korea and China, but it was also scrapped for similar reasons.

Under the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, the South Korean government allows citizens from 103 member countries to drive in Korea using licenses issued in their home countries.

However, China is not a signatory to this convention and is therefore not included.

As the controversy grew, the Jeju Provincial Government stepped in to contain the situation.

In an explanatory statement released today, the Jeju provincial government stated, "At this point, no prior discussions or practical reviews have been conducted between departments regarding this matter."

It further clarified that the remarks were "made as an idea during a broad brainstorming process to find ways to attract foreign tourists and are not being pursued as an official policy."

The provincial government added that the issue requires international agreements, amendments to laws, and consultations between government ministries, and therefore cannot be decided unilaterally by Jeju Island.

Reported by Yeo Hyeon-gyo | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.