South Korea accommodation complaints surge to 38% of tourism grievances

Accommodation-related complaints among foreign tourists in South Korea have surged to 38.36% of total tourism grievances this year, according to data analyzed by National Assembly member Cho Kye-won. This marks a significant increase from 15.74% in 2023 and 17.95% in 2025. The spike is attributed to high demand surrounding BTS performances in Seoul and Busan, which led to increased disputes over cancellations and penalties.

Data from the Korea Consumer Agency reveals high rates of contract non-fulfillment among online travel agencies (OTAs). Domestic platforms such as Nol Universe (29.97%), Naver (25.48%), and Yeogiohtte (23.17%) reported that more than one in four consumer relief requests involved issues like unilateral cancellations or services differing from what was advertised. These rates are comparable to or higher than several international competitors, including Airbnb (24.52%) and Agoda (23.24%), though Booking.com recorded a higher rate at 37.31%.

Representative Cho emphasized that to achieve the government's goal of attracting 30 million foreign tourists and to prepare for the 2027 World Youth Day, the quality of accommodation services must be preemptively reviewed. He called for both legislative support to ensure fair competition for domestic platforms and self-regulatory efforts from OTA companies to improve service reliability.