Seoul to use mystery shoppers to catch Myeong-dong merchants ripping off tourists Foreign travelers in Myeondong, Jung District in Seoul last year. Seoul will intensity its crackdown on merchants overpricing tourists in Myeongdong, [JOONGANG ILBO] Seoul will use mystery shoppers to intensify its crack down on merchants ripping off tourists in Myeong-dong, one of the nation's most popular shopping spots. This initiative follows a surge in shop owners' illegal commercial activities, such as overpricing and aggressive selling, as the nation saw a record number of foreign travelers since the Covid-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2024.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Tuesday that the city, in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, launched a team of around 50 authorities to conduct a three-day crackdown on cosmetic stores beginning Monday in Myeong-dong, Jung District, central Seoul. The team will visit 75 cosmetic stores in Myeong-dong's shopping area to ensure merchants display prices on their products. According to the Cosmetics Act, all cosmetic items sold in the country must have visible price tags, such as stickers, to inform customers of the products' actual prices.
To tackle this issue more effectively, the city government will deploy mystery shoppers to assess shopping conditions and identify ways to improve them. Disguised as foreign travelers, these shoppers will visit cosmetic shops to evaluate the overall shopping experience, inclu.
