South Korea tourist complaints reach record high

Tourist complaints in South Korea have reached a record high within the first seven months of the year. Data from the Korea Tourism Organization shows that 1,753 complaints were filed between January and July, already surpassing the 1,744 cases reported throughout the entirety of last year.

Major issues cited by travelers include accommodation problems, specifically unilateral reservation cancellations and excessive cancellation fees, which accounted for 500 cases. Other frequent grievances involve unfriendly service and overcharging at retail stores, reckless taxi driving, and refusal to use meters.

Geographically, Seoul recorded the highest number of complaints at 665, followed by Busan with 594, Incheon with 176, and Jeju Island with 155. Busan saw a significant surge in complaints, more than doubling its previous year's figures, partly coinciding with large-scale events such as BTS concerts. Foreign visitors represent 84.3 percent of all complaints, with Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese nationals filing the highest numbers.