"Leading Seoul Tourism?" Six Unlicensed Guides Caught in Crackdown

Unlicensed Guides Caught in Myeong-dong and Hongdae Amid Surge of Foreign Tourists
Seoul City: "Crackdown Intensified to Restore Trust in Tourism"

As the number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul surges, some travel agencies have been caught hiring unqualified guides.

Seoul Gyeongbokgung Palace bustling with foreign tourists. Photo by The Asia Business Daily Database

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 23rd that it had apprehended a total of six individuals during an inspection for unlicensed guides conducted from October 15 to 17 in the areas of Hongdae Entrance Station, Myeong-dong, and Gyeongbokgung Palace. The inspection was carried out in cooperation with Seoul’s district offices, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s mobile patrol unit, and the Korea Tourist Interpreter-Guide Association.

According to the Tourism Promotion Act, anyone providing guide services to foreign tourists must obtain a 'Tourist Interpreter-Guide License.' However, some travel agencies have been hiring unqualified individuals as guides, leading to inaccurate explanations of history and culture or operating tours focused solely on shopping to meet performance targets. These practices have raised concerns about a decline in the quality of tourism.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government used the 'Guide License Verification App' on-site to check the validity of 62 guides’ qualifications, identifying six cases of unlicensed activity. Unqualified guides will be fined, while the travel agencies that hired them will face either fines or administrative penalties. Under the Tourism Promotion Act, unqualified guides are subject to fines of 1.5 million won for a first offense, 3 million won for a second, and 5 million won for a third. Travel agencies face a first warning, a 15-day business suspension for a second offense, and license cancellation for a third.

Gu Jongwon, Director of the Tourism and Sports Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "As the number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul has reached an all-time high, we aim to further enhance Seoul’s appeal by creating a healthy and trustworthy tourism environment."

Meanwhile, the number of foreign visitors to South Korea reached 12.3 million as of August this year. If the current trend continues, the figure is expected to surpass the previous record of 20 million.

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