A YouTuber submitted footage of the incident to a broadcast program

This photo is unrelated to the article. [123rf]
This photo is unrelated to the article. [123rf]

Korean tourists at a well-known Japanese hot spring resort have drawn criticism after footage emerged showing them eating boiled eggs in an area where food and drink are prohibited.

According to JTBC's "Sageon Banjang," which aired Tuesday, a Korean man who had been filming a YouTube video at Kamado Onsen in Japan submitted the footage documenting the behavior.

The video was recorded Saturday at Kamado Onsen in Beppu, Oita Prefecture — a popular destination among Korean visitors.

The witness said he spotted the group at a foot bath area, where they settled in and began cracking open boiled eggs with an audible tap.

A notice posted directly in front of the group — written in Japanese, English and hangul — read: "Please refrain from eating and drinking inside the foot bath."

An audio announcement in standard Korean also played over the speakers, warning that consuming ramyun or beverages in the foot bath posed hygiene concerns and was therefore prohibited.

The witness said he approached the group directly and told them eating was not allowed there, but they ignored him and continued eating.

"Just as Koreans dislike it when foreigners cause trouble in Korea, I hope Koreans abroad will refrain from this kind of behavior," he said.


jshan@heraldcorp.com