Mapo-gu Cracks Down on Illegal Lodging Operations, 19 Establishments Caught

Verification of Compliance with Laws for Unregistered Illegal Lodging Businesses Targeting Foreign Tourists and Domestic City Guesthouses for Nationals, with Criminal and Administrative Penalties for Violations

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) has identified 19 lodging establishments through intensive crackdowns on illegal lodging operations in the first and second halves of 2019.

Mapo-gu is the area with the highest number of registered lodging businesses nationwide, as urban guesthouses are thriving around major tourist spots such as Hongdae and the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, which are popular among foreigners.

This crackdown was carried out to address illegal lodging operations that could lead to safety and hygiene issues as well as a decrease in business profits for existing lodging operators, and to inspect the operational status of establishments to enhance the trust of users in legitimate businesses.

The targets of the crackdown were establishments suspected of illegal operations based on online monitoring conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on major portal sites such as Airbnb and Naver, as well as lodging brokerage sites.

The district conducted inspections on a total of 252 lodging establishments from June 26 to August 30 and from October 31 to November 27.

For foreign tourist urban guesthouses among the targets, Mapo-gu formed its own inspection team to focus on checking for altered or expanded operations such as lodging services for domestic customers.

For unregistered establishments, a joint inspection team consisting of Seoul City, Mapo-gu, and tourism police was formed to check for unregistered illegal lodging operations and conduct crackdowns.

As a result, 19 lodging establishments were identified during this year’s on-site inspections, including 6 registered foreign tourist urban guesthouses and 13 unregistered lodging establishments.

Registered foreign tourist urban guesthouses are currently undergoing administrative actions for violations of the Tourism Promotion Act related to lodging for domestic customers, while unregistered lodging establishments are facing criminal penalties under Article 20, Paragraph 1 of the Public Health Control Act.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, stated, “We will do our best to eradicate illegal activities in lodging establishments within the district through continuous crackdowns on illegal lodging operations that cause inconvenience to tourists in safety and hygiene blind spots and undermine fair market order.”