Jeju Island aims to revive tourism amid black pig fat issue

Around noon on June 3rd, people walk along Black Pig Street in Geonip-dong, Jeju City. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Jeju is trying to lure tourists back to the island following a recent online controversy over restaurants on the island serving fatty pork belly.

Black Pig Street in Geonip-dong, Jeju City, which is famous for its black pork specialty shops, was eerily quiet when the JoongAng Ilbo visited the street at noon on the 3rd.

Black pigs are made from black pigs from Jeju Island and are a breed unique to Korea, characterized by their black fur.

Most restaurants, except for those that only open at night, were open but had few or no customers, and restaurant owners could be seen on the streets trying to lure customers.

Only one group of foreign tourists was seen enjoying lunch at one restaurant, and domestic tourists were hardly seen on the streets.

In late April, an online user shared a photo of fatty pork belly grilled on the online community Bobaedream, sparking a heated debate. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The normally bustling street has been deserted since late April when an anonymous tourist posted a photo online of Jeju black pork (Heukdaeji) served at a local restaurant, claiming that the meat was “98 percent fat.”

The overly greasy heukdaeji sparked outrage among ordinary Jeju residents who have long complained about the island’s overpriced food.

“The street has survived the COVID-19 pandemic and the weak yen crisis, but visitor numbers have dropped to more than half since images of fat Black Earth Day were massively spread online,” said a 43-year-old shopkeeper surnamed Yang.

At noon on June 3rd, the Black Pig Street in Geonip-dong, Jeju City, is quiet. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Restaurant owners on Jeju say the incident is having a negative impact on domestic tourists, who make up 90 percent of visitors.

Following the images of the greasy pork, other tourists began posting their own bad experiences with overpriced meals on Jeju Island.

One tourist reported paying 160,000 won ($116) for a kalchi (hairtail) dish, while another spent more than 100,000 won on drinks and desserts over four days. In response to the backlash, some mackerel restaurants have reduced the price of grilled fish from 12,000 won to 10,000 won.

Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in international travel, further reducing the number of domestic tourists visiting Jeju Island.

Jeju International Airport [JOONGANG ILBO]

Recently, there has been talk circulating on social media that traveling to Japan or other Southeast Asian countries is more cost-effective than visiting Jeju Island, making it even more difficult to attract people to travel to Jeju Island.

According to the Jeju Tourism Association, as of June 2nd this year, the number of domestic tourists visiting Jeju Island was 5.01 million, down 7.8% from the same period last year.

Total tourist numbers are expected to reach 13.89 million in 2022 but fell to 13.37 million last year, a 3.7% decrease.

Domestic tourists are expected to decline from 13.8 million in 2022 to 12.66 million in 2023, a significant decrease of 8.3%.

The majority of tourists visiting Jeju are domestic, so their decline is affecting the overall revenue of local businesses.

According to the Jeju Tourism Association, tourist spending in the first quarter, measured by credit card transactions, fell 12.7 percent to 541.59 billion won from 620.56 billion won in the same period last year.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of domestic flights at Jeju International Airport also fell by 530 flights (2%) to 25,579, and the number of seats fell by 2.5% to 125,630 compared to the same period last year, bringing the total number of seats as of April this year to 4.87 million.

Meanwhile, the number of international flights and available seats to Jeju Island more than tripled during the same period, reaching 4,658 flights and 851,110 seats.

Jeju Tourism Association Chairman Kang Dong-hoon (left), Jeju Tourism Exchange Center Director Byun Deok-soon (center), and Jeju Tourism Organization Chairman Go Seung-cheol announce the Jeju Tourism Innovation Plan at the Jeju City Hall Press Center on May 29. [JOONGANG ILBO]

In response to the decline in domestic tourists, Jeju Island will set up an emergency response committee aimed at reforming the tourism sector. The committee, co-chaired by the Jeju governor and a private sector representative, will include around 25 members, including tourism industry representatives, relevant organization officials, and experts.

The committee will diagnose problems, develop solutions and implement follow-up actions on major tourism issues.

In addition, the Jeju Tourism Service Center will be established, where the Jeju Tourism Organization and the Jeju Tourism Association will work together to provide tourism information and quickly respond to tourism-related complaints.

Experts say Jeju needs to offer quality services at reasonable prices and revamp its marketing strategies to rekindle public interest.

Tourists enjoy the view at the cosmos garden at the Hanmong Historical Site in Aewol-eup, Jeju City. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Hong Seong-hwa, a professor at Jeju National University’s Department of Tourism Management, stressed the urgency of changing Jeju Island’s negative image.

“We need to work with tourism industry companies to strengthen innovative and unconventional ‘Jeju marketing’ that will pique people’s curiosity and make them want to visit the island,” Professor Hong said.

Choi Chun-il, Woo Ji-won [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]

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