(ECNS) -- The Chinese Embassy in South Korea has rejected recent media reports that claimed Chinese tourists are the core growth engine in the casino industry in South Korea. The embassy urged Seoul to tighten oversight of the casino industry and curb gambling-related solicitation targeting Chinese visitors.
Tang Liang, counselor in charge of consular affairs at the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, wrote an article in the Korea Times, criticizing certain South Korean media claims that casinos should target returning Chinese tourists as their core growth engine and primary clientele, according to a post on the embassy's WeChat account on Monday.
"We are deeply shocked by such remarks and firmly opposed to such practices, which warrant serious reconsideration," Tang wrote.
He calls on South Korea, in the broader context of China-South Korea friendship, to regulate casino operations and stop gambling solicitation targeting Chinese tourists, according to the embassy.
Both China and South Korea have laws and policies that restrict gambling, the counselor said, adding that South Korea bars its own citizens from entering most casinos, while China maintains a zero-tolerance stance toward gambling and also prohibits Chinese citizens from gambling overseas.
"It is highly inappropriate for Korean casinos to conduct targeted marketing and recruitment specifically toward foreign nationals, especially Chinese people," the article said, warning that such practices are entirely detrimental to bilateral people-to-people exchanges and offer no benefits whatsoever.
The counselor also called on South Korea to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities over tourism institutions, strictly standardize casino operations and put an end to gambling recruitment targeting Chinese tourists, according to the article.
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