Gangwon-do Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 13 Illegal Unregistered Lodging Businesses
Used as Offices, Apartments, Multi-family Houses, and Private Guesthouses
Photo materials [Asia Economy DB]
[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] As social distancing measures are eased, the number of travelers to the Gangwon region has increased, prompting local governments to crack down on unregistered illegal lodging operations.
According to the Gangwon Province Civil Affairs and Judicial Team on the 9th, from April until recently, they have inspected unregistered lodging businesses and identified 11 establishments in Chuncheon and 2 in Sokcho, taking action against them.
These accommodations were operating without business registration or lodging permits, using reservation websites to conduct their business before being caught by authorities.
The types of establishments included 5 officetels, 4 multi-family houses (one-room and two-room units), 2 apartments, 1 commercial building, and 1 private guesthouse, charging daily lodging fees ranging from 60,000 KRW up to 800,000 KRW.
Establishment A registered vacant rooms in a building they owned on a reservation site and earned approximately 30 million KRW over 1 year and 3 months, while Establishment B earned about 24 million KRW over 4 years from a single room, both gaining illegal profits.
Establishment C reported only 3 out of 13 buildings on the property as agricultural and fishing village guesthouses, but operated a large-scale resort complex with 22 rooms, including a large swimming pool and standalone pool villas.
In particular, around 40 suspected illegal lodging establishments have appeared in Chuncheon alone around the time of the easing of social distancing and the opening of Legoland, indicating signs of the spread of illegal lodging operations.
The Civil Affairs and Judicial Team plans to notify the relevant local governments to take administrative action against illegal lodging businesses according to related laws, and to investigate and refer illegal operators to the prosecution after filing charges.
Under the Public Health Control Act, 'unregistered lodging operations' are subject to strengthened penalties of up to 2 years imprisonment or fines up to 20 million KRW (enforced June 22, 2022).
The head of the Disaster Prevention Division stated, "With the easing of social distancing, illegal lodging operations within the province are expected to increase before and after the peak season. We will continue crackdowns to prevent crimes and damages targeting small legitimate lodging operators and tourists in the province."
He added, "We ask those who know of illegal lodging operations or victims to report to the Integrated Civil Crime Reporting Center on the provincial government website."
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