[2026 Parliamentary Audit] "Joseon Was a Vassal State of China": Even History Distortion... A Gaping Hole in Training Records for 40,000 Tourist Guides

26 of 261 Chinese-Language Tours at Gyeongbokgung Found Inappropriate; Oversight Failures Highlighted at Parliamentary Audit
Seven Complaints of Historical Distortion in Past Five Years, Virtually No Administrative Sanctions
Tourism Organization Training Course Requires 80% Attendance to Graduate; No Assessment of Historical Knowledge
President Park Seong-hyeok: "We Will Examine It Seriously"; Review Underway on Integrating Training Records into a Database

A case in which a nationally certified tourist interpreter-guide distorted Korean history by telling foreign tourists that Joseon was a vassal state of China was raised during a parliamentary audit. One in 10 Chinese-language guided tours surveyed at Gyeongbokgung Palace this year was found to be inappropriate, yet the Korea Tourism Organization had not even made a separate plan to inspect the situation. The organization also does not centrally manage the training records of more than 42,000 certificate holders, prompting calls for an overhaul of the overall post-certification management system for nationally certified tourist guides.

Chinese tourists visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace look around Geunjeongjeon and other areas of the palace grounds.

At the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's audit of the Korea Tourism Organization on October 14, Assemblyman Jeong Yeon-wook of the People Power Party presented cases of tourist interpreter-guides distorting history and pressed the organization on its inadequate management and oversight.

Assemblyman Jeong cited media reports that some tourist interpreter-guides had told foreign tourists, "Joseon was a vassal state of the Chinese people for generations." He also referred to a case in which a guide explained the Imjin War as having occurred because Joseon regarded China as its "father country" and sought to prevent Japanese troops from passing through. The concern is that explanations distorting historical facts are being delivered to foreign visitors by nationally certified guides.

Park Seong-hyeok, president of the Korea Tourism Organization, acknowledged that there was a problem when asked whether the explanation was appropriate, saying, "It makes no sense."

According to data presented by Assemblyman Jeong, 26 of the 261 Chinese-language guided tours conducted at Gyeongbokgung Palace this year were found to be inappropriate. That is 9.96% of the total, or about one in 10. Over the past five years, seven complaints related to historical distortions by tourist interpreter-guides were filed, but almost none resulted in administrative sanctions.

The Korea Tourism Organization's post-certification management system was also criticized. According to data submitted to Assemblyman Jeong's office, the organization had not drawn up a separate survey or inspection plan for Chinese-language tourist interpreter-guides. Its personnel management database for tourist interpreter-guides contained only basic information, such as names and the languages in which they were certified, and did not track completed training.

A tourist interpreter-guide is a nationally certified professional who guides foreign tourists around domestic tourist attractions and provides historical and cultural information. The certification exam consists of four written subjects—Korean history, interpretation of tourism resources, tourism laws and regulations, and introduction to tourism—as well as an oral interview. Although historical knowledge is assessed when candidates obtain certification, the system for regularly checking the accuracy of the explanations they provide at actual tourist sites after certification is inadequate, critics say.

The evaluation method for the Korea Tourism Organization's post-certification training courses also came under scrutiny. The completion requirement for the "2026 Tourist Interpreter-Guide Growth Academy," listed on the organization's Tourism e-Learning Center, is an attendance rate of at least 80%. The curriculum includes planning guided tours and on-site training at major tourist attractions, but the stated weighting for exams and assignments in the completion assessment is 0% for each. The structure does not separately assess whether participants have completed the training and whether they have accurately acquired historical and cultural knowledge.

Assemblyman Jeong expressed concern that repeated inaccurate historical explanations could spread distorted perceptions of Korea overseas as the number of Chinese tourists increases. He called for stricter assessments of guides' understanding of history and culture, as well as stronger post-tour inspections and management of inappropriate explanations.

In response, President Park said, "This is not a minor issue; it is a very important one," adding, "We will examine it seriously."

President Park explained that the Korea Tourism Organization had been unable to track individual training records because there are 42,000 holders of the tourist interpreter-guide certification. He acknowledged that training records for courses separately conducted by the Korea Tourist Guide Association are not linked to the organization's system, leaving management divided between the two bodies.

He added that the organization would consider whether training records maintained by the Korea Tourism Organization and the association could be managed together in a database and seek ways to improve the system.

The audit revealed that management of tourist interpreter-guides is focused on obtaining certification, while post-certification training, verification of tour commentary quality, and complaint handling are not systematically connected. With the Korea Tourism Organization acknowledging the need to improve its management system, a key task ahead is to establish a framework not only for centrally managing training records but also for assessing the accuracy of actual tour commentary and responding to inappropriate cases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.