The boom in tourism from China has spawned an army of unqualified tour guides whose explanations range from the half-baked to total nonsense, taking in the downright offensive along the way. But travel agents say there simply aren't enough qualified guides to meet burgeoning demand.
Certified tour guides must pass a test that includes Korean history, administered by the Korea Tourism Organization. They are also required to take additional tourism classes.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there are some 6,450 certified tour guides for Chinese tourists in the country, but at least an equal number of unqualified ones work for travel agencies.
A tour guide gives an explanation for Chinese tourists at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul on Friday. Most of the unqualified guides are ethnic Koreans from China. One industry insider said, "There's been a desperate shortage of Chinese-speaking tour guides for two to three years, which has led to mushrooming numbers of ethnic Koreans from Yanbian and other parts of China to fill the gap."
Most of them have very little knowledge of Korean history.
One Chinese-speaking tour guide who gave his name as Chung said, "Korean travel agencies don't care about the quality of tour guides and are only concerned about how many products they can get tourists to buy on shopping excursions. Travel agencies actually favor guides who don't ask for a regular wage but work on commissions for the products they get tourists to buy."
He said some unscrupulous travel agencies lend guide licenses to unqualified guides.
In October, the ministry announced it would crack down on unqualified guides, but that rarely happens, even at major tourist attractions like royal palaces.
Still, the new tourist police, which was launched in 2013 to handle crimes and nuisances targeting foreign visitors, have nabbed 340 unqualified Chinese-speaking guides this year.
