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Instagram post of incident at Starbucks adds to rising anti-Chinese sentiment online

Published: 02 Dec. 2025, 10:44 Updated: 02 Dec. 2025, 16:12

A photo uploaded to Instagram shows customers drinking soju and eating food brought in from outside in a Starbucks branch in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 1, stoking anti-Chinese sentiment based on the title of the post. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A social media post showing a group of customers who brought fried chicken and soju into a Starbucks in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi, has further stoked rising anti-Chinese sentiment in Korea that Seoul and Beijing have recently condemned.

A post titled "Chinese people drinking soju and eating chicken at Starbucks" was uploaded to Instagram on Monday, showing six or seven people eating chicken and drinking soju bought elsewhere while sitting at a table after ordering drinks.

The post soon went viral, with social media users denouncing the behavior, writing comments such as “I want to curse at them, but I won’t in case I get fined,” “It’s unpleasant to see” and “This is below common sense.”

A Starbucks spokesperson said their staff told the group that outside food was not allowed and that the group cleared the items immediately.

“Most customers comply with our no outside food rule, but we will establish stricter guidelines to deal with similar cases,” the spokesperson added.

Complaints about misconduct by some Chinese tourists have increased in recent weeks.

Posts on online communities have alleged that visitors relieved themselves near the stone walls of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, in Hallasan National Park on Jeju Island and on streets in Jeju.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]