Korea Guesthouse Scams 2026: New 5-Day Suspension Rule and How to Get Your Money Back

Bottom line: If you paid more than the posted rate at a foreign-tourist guesthouse (oegugin-gwangwang dosi-minbak) or a hanok-stay business, keep the receipt and a photo of the price list and report it to your local government or the Korea Tourism Organization's tourist complaint center (1330). Starting August 4, 2026, these businesses face an immediate 5-day suspension on the very first violation.

If you didn't know: Until this rule, a first offense for not posting prices or overcharging only drew a warning. Complaints kept climbing anyway — national tourism complaint reports hit 1,753 in the first seven months of 2026 alone, already topping all of last year's 1,744, with 84.3% filed by foreign visitors. With such a light penalty, both the business and the traveler who reported it often ended up with little to show for it.

Foreign-tourist guesthouses previously had no legal obligation to post their rates at all, a gap regulators had flagged for years. On July 28, 2026, the government passed an amendment to the Tourism Promotion Act's enforcement decree at a Cabinet meeting, and now these businesses must post a price list — breaking that rule brings an immediate suspension. That's why it's worth checking, the moment you walk into a guesthouse, whether a price list is visibly posted in the lobby or room. The government says it also plans further legislation: a 'price assurance' system requiring advance rate filings, and penalties for canceling confirmed bookings without good reason. Those haven't taken effect yet, though — for now, what applies is the posting requirement and the 5-day suspension on a first offense.

Journey stage: Before you go · Verified 2026-10-20 · Source Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, The Kyunghyang Shinmun.