China’s embassy in Seoul has urged South Korean authorities to tighten oversight of casino operators and stop gambling solicitation targeting Chinese tourists, according to a report published on Monday by The Korea Times.
The intervention followed media and brokerage commentary suggesting returning Chinese visitors could serve as a core growth driver for South Korea’s foreigner-only casinos.
The newspaper said Tang Liang, counselor responsible for consular affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, had sent it a letter criticizing casino marketing directed at Chinese visitors.
Tang wrote that the embassy was ‘deeply shocked’ by suggestions that South Korean casinos should position Chinese tourists as their primary customer group and ‘firmly opposed’ such an approach.
He said Chinese law maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards gambling and considers gambling by Chinese citizens overseas illegal.
‘It is highly inappropriate for ROK casinos to conduct targeted marketing and recruitment specifically toward foreigners, especially Chinese people,’ Tang wrote, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK).
The embassy urged South Korean authorities to fulfil their regulatory responsibilities over tourism institutions, strengthen oversight of casino operations and end gambling recruitment targeting Chinese tourists.
Tang also said China would increase education for outbound travellers, advising them to exercise restraint and avoid crossing legal boundaries by gambling overseas.
Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times reported on Tuesday that the embassy had also published Tang’s comments on its official WeChat account.
South Korea has 17 foreigner-only casinos, which rely heavily on international visitation. The Korea Times noted that the industry has benefited from recovering Asian tourism, while brokerages have pointed to higher Chinese arrivals as a potential source of further growth.
However, the newspaper said casino operators remain cautious about publicly identifying Chinese visitors as a target market amid Beijing’s continued crackdown on overseas gambling solicitation.
