In 2023, tourist complaints in South Korea reached a record high, with 1,753 complaints lodged between January and July, surpassing the total of 1,744 from all of 2022. The Korea Tourism Organization noted that primary issues included reckless taxi driving, overcharging at shopping outlets, and excessive accommodation cancellation fees.
Seoul had the highest number of complaints (665), followed by Busan (594), Incheon (176), and Jeju (155). Notably, Busan saw complaints more than double compared to the previous year, particularly due to the influx of 110,000 visitors for BTS concerts.
The majority of complaints (500) were related to accommodations, with other top issues being unfriendly service (376), poor airport services (186), and taxi-related problems (182). Foreign visitors accounted for over 84% of these complaints, with Chinese nationals leading at 680 complaints.
Experts urge both governmental and private sector efforts to enhance visitor satisfaction and suggest that negative reviews on social media pose a threat to the tourism sector. With the recent rise in tourist numbers—over 10 million in the first half of the year—stakeholders are under pressure to address these issues and maintain the tourism momentum.
