Seoul Tourism Police Unit Cracks Down on Illegal Lodgings in 'Safety Blind Spots'

Members of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Tourist Police Unit are conducting inspections of illegal lodging businesses.
[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Tourist Police Unit announced on the 29th that it conducted special security activities before and after the Chuseok holiday, cracking down on 213 cases of illegal tourism activities, including unregistered lodging operations.

From the 6th to the 28th of this month, the police focused on intensive crackdowns on unregistered lodging facilities, which are blind spots in quarantine measures, to create a safe and pleasant tourism environment. They also carried out promotional activities to ensure compliance with COVID-19 quarantine rules, centered around major landmarks such as Namsan Tower, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Changdeokgung Palace.

The detected violations included 182 cases of unregistered lodging operations, 13 cases of basic order violations, and 18 cases of violations of the Road Traffic Act. Among the unregistered lodging cases, there was a company that leased 26 officetel units near a university area to operate illegal lodging, and a large company that disguised itself as a goshiwon (small room rental) with about 100 rooms, operating them as temporary self-quarantine accommodations for the general public and foreign international students through illicit means.

Additionally, a case was uncovered where a commercial-residential building was disguised as a women-only share house with seven units, operating illegal lodging. The police explained that shared living spaces like share houses could potentially become links for COVID-19 transmission, creating quarantine blind spots.

Furthermore, small-scale unregistered lodging facilities operated by individuals with 7 to 10 units regardless of housing types such as apartments and multi-family houses were also detected, along with illegal lodging operations in 'Youth Housing,' a government residential support policy.

A representative of the Tourist Police Unit stated, "Cases of unregistered lodging being transformed and operated through various forms and illicit methods are increasing, raising exposure to various risks including COVID-19 quarantine, hygiene, and fire hazards. Citizens need to verify whether lodging facilities are registered when making reservations. We will continue to strengthen cooperation with related organizations to monitor and crack down on illegal lodging facilities continuously."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.