Tourist Complaints in South Korea Reach Record High Amid Travel Boom

Tourist complaints in South Korea have hit an all time high this year, with 1,753 cases filed nationwide between January and July. This figure already surpasses the 1,744 complaints reported for the entirety of last year, according to data from the Korea Tourism Organization. The surge comes as the country experiences a tourism boom, marking the first time foreign visitor counts surpassed 10 million before the end of the first half of the year.

Accommodation issues were the most frequent source of complaints, with 500 cases involving one sided reservation cancellations and excessive cancellation fees. These issues flared particularly during major events, such as BTS concerts. Other primary grievances included unfriendly service and overcharging at stores with 376 cases, poor airport and airline services with 186 cases, and taxi related issues such as reckless driving or meter refusals with 182 cases.

Geographically, Seoul recorded the highest number of complaints at 665, followed by Busan with 594, Incheon with 176, and Jeju with 155. Busan saw a significant increase, with complaints more than doubling compared to last year, coinciding with a BTS world tour concert in June that drew approximately 110,000 visitors.

Foreign visitors accounted for 84.3 percent of all complaints. Chinese nationals filed the most complaints at 680, followed by Japanese visitors at 263 and Taiwanese visitors at 182. Experts, including tourism professor Yoon Ji hwan, have warned that negative experiences shared on social media could damage the industry and have called for government and private sector efforts to improve service quality.