Overview
- The cafe’s Instagram bio in English stated it would not accept Chinese guests, and several Chinese visitors said they were refused entry.
- Seongdong District Mayor Chong Won-o pledged to make every effort to persuade the business to remove the message, with no official sanction announced.
- The incident drew wide attention after Henry, a China-born influencer in Korea with roughly 190,000 followers, posted on October 22 and drew nearly 1,000 comments.
- Korean social media users denounced the policy, with calls for boycotts and comparisons to historical persecution reported by local outlets.
- The Korea Herald reported the owner defended the rule and said it would stay until tensions ease, a stance that has intensified debate on discrimination days before the APEC summit.