Lack of English-Language Information Available Online Keeps Foreigners Tourists From Enjoying a Truly Immersive Experience of South Korea Cullture, Says Tourism Network 5.4 Club

by Therese Agcopra / Nov 09, 2015 05:39 AM EST

Foreign tourists are having difficulty navigating some parts of South Korea due to the lack of English-language information. (Photo by Chung Sung Jun/Getty Images)

The 5.4 Club, an organization devoted to promoting South Korea's culture and tourism overseas, addressed the lack of comprehensive English-language information for tourists in the country. During its regular meeting held Thursday night, the members of the 5.4 Club agreed that many tourists are held back from enjoying a truly immersive experience of South Korean culture because of the shortage of information readily available in the English language.

"For tourists to fully enjoy the sights, food, shops and joys of Korea, relevant information has to be delivered to them," 5.4 Club's legal adviser Lee Jai Wook told the Korea Herarld. "But our Internet is not fully globalized, so it's difficult even for foreigners residing in Korea to get information online."

Despite South Korea's booming tourism, there is still a lack in English-language websites about the many aspects of South Korean culture. Even the online demand for some South Korean products has been left unfulfilled due to language barriers.

Kwon Heon Jun, chief operating officer of Korean restaurant Congdu, said there is a need for more Korean menus and information on ingredients available online in English.

Kwon said many foreigners are curious about Korean food-their history and preparation process-but very few restaurants have English-speaking personnel that can fluently talk to tourists, and nor are there a lot of menus written in English.

Grand Hyatt Seoul's general manager Adrian Slater also address the challenges tourists face when navigating the city.

"I got up to Mount Namsan every day, and the Seoul City Wall goes right through it. It's beautiful, but there are no signposts there," Slater said.

Slater also suggested that information of historical sites should also be made available in German, French and other languages spoken by the country's tourists.

The 5.4 Club is a sub-organization of the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI).

CICI president Choi Jung Wha said the aim of the 5.4 Club is to provide more specialized ways of promoting South Korea to foreign visitors.