A Korean businessman experienced an unexpected delay during his recent trip to China, all due to a notebook he carried. The reason for his detention at Sunan Taoxian Airport in China was quite unusual: his notebook contained a world map that depicted Taiwan as a separate country.

This incident occurred on January 24, when customs officials held the businessman in his 70s for about an hour. The map in his notebook, which also omitted the Xinjiang region from Chinese territory, caught the attention of the airport authorities, prompting them to detain him for further investigation.

The situation was resolved when the man agreed to remove the contentious world map from his notebook and hand it over to the customs officials.

Having conducted business in China for over three decades, the man expressed his surprise at this incident, noting that he had never encountered such an issue before. This event underscores the sensitivity of specific geopolitical topics, particularly regarding maps and territorial representations, in international travel and business.

A representative from the Korean Consulate General in Sunan expressed, "We have formally requested the Chinese authorities to provide details regarding the investigation into our citizen." Furthermore, they mentioned their intention to seek preventative measures against potential reoccurrences if the actions taken were deemed excessive.

Recent developments have highlighted the heightened sensitivity surrounding geopolitical representations in maps. Customs authorities at Xiamen and Jingtan Port have reportedly seized around 10 maps. These actions were taken in instances where the maps did not recognize Tibet as part of China, or where Taiwan was depicted as an independent country.

These enforcement measures are in line with customs regulations designed to preserve the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the nation. Such regulations are intended to prevent the entry of printed or visual materials that could be perceived as challenging these principles.

Despite the Chinese authorities' implementation of friendly measures to attract foreign visitors, incidents such as detentions at airports due to singular map-related issues persist.