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By Kim Se-jeong
A new tourism leaflet designed to make foreigners' stay in Korea more pleasant is out, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Sunday.
The leaflet contains useful tips in four categories ― taxis, public transportation, shopping and restaurants.
About taxis, it states that a certified taxi has a yellow license plate, a taximeter with a base charge of 3,000 won and a device allowing passengers to pay with credit cards. Overcharging has long been one of the major complaints of foreign travelers.
About shopping, the leaflet says a tax refund is available for any purchase worth more than 30,000 won at the airport or the shop. It also advises tourists to compare prices before making a purchase, a warning of possible rip-offs.
Other advice is that Korea has no tip culture, and side dishes in restaurants are provided for free. For Muslim travelers, the leaflet gives information on the 15 mosques in the country.
Also, the leaflet contains four emergency phone numbers, including the Korea Travel Hotline at #1330.
The information is available in 11 different languages ― English, Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Thai, Malay, Indonesian, Russian, Vietnamese and Arabic. The leaflets are available at Incheon International Airport and other entry points.
The ministry has been spearheading efforts to attract more tourists to Korea. Last year, more than 13 million foreign visitors came to Korea. It aspires to push the number to 20 million by 2017.
