South Korean officials have come up with a clever way to both respond to a recent boom in tourism and to make tourists feel safe and welcome in the country's capital city, Seoul.
On Wednesday, South Korea's "tourist police" force made their debut during an inauguration ceremony at Gwanghwamun square in central Seoul, AFP reports.
Dressed to the nines in bright blue uniforms that were created by pop superstar Psy's costume designer, the 100-member strong police force was introduced to the public for the first time. Psy's mega-hit song "Gangnam Style" was played to kick off Wednesday's event as a police drill unit performed the Gangnam Style dance for onlookers.
"The tourist police wasn't created because this country is unsafe," Lee Charm, president of the Korea Tourism Organization told officers at the inauguration. "You are ambassadors who promote how safe this country is. From now on, you guys will be very busy having pictures taken with tourists."
According to the Korea Tourism Organization website, the government decided to launch this initiative to provide an ever-increasing amount of tourists with more convenience. The number of tourists visiting South Korea has grown significantly in recent years, with over 10 million visitors to the country in 2012 - the highest number of tourists on record, according to reports.
The officers speak a variety of languages including English, Mandarin, Chinese and Japanese. They will be assigned to patrol major tourist hubs in Seoul, including Myeong-dong, Insa-dong, Itaewon Tourist Special Zone and Hongdae.
The officer's responsibilities are multi-faceted. They are responsible for providing tourist assistance when needed as well as maintaining order, cracking down on merchants, taxi drivers and others who may try to swindle foreign visitors.
"Those who think they were overcharged by taxi drivers or street food vendors can come and talk to us," recruit Park Jae-Hyong told reporters. "We will help settle the problem.
This special force will also serve as liaisons to regular police officers in the event of a serious crime or emergency. The tourist police will not be armed with weapons themselves.