The province is still seeing a rise in the number of tourists amid the pandemic. Many of them visit the island’s beaches, though the official opening is one month away. People without a mask are easily spotted, but authorities are not doing enough to prevent the continuous spread of the virus.
Joseph Kim reports.

Report


It’s early in the morning at a beach in Jeju City.
Vacationers come with their friends and families.


Jeju has been considered a less dangerous zone for the pandemic, but it has recently seen a surge in cases.


Most visitors comply with social distancing and mask requirements.
But some violate the rules.
The one meter distancing rule is ignored.
International tourists without masks are easily spotted.

More disturbingly, violations are not monitored at beaches as government offices just sit on their hands.


Authorities explain that workers cannot be deployed to local beaches and administrative measures cannot be made until the official opening of beach season.


That means there is no legal ground to stop violators from ignoring social distancing and mask requirements at beaches before July.


Tourists surge into the island for their getaways.
There is a flaw in authorities’ responses while a sense of unease is growing among islanders.
Joseph Kim, KCTV