Chungnam Joint Inspection of Illegal Lodging Businesses During Vacation Season

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province announced on the 8th that it will conduct special inspections on lodging businesses in tourist areas during the vacation season until the 31st of this month.

The special inspections will be conducted jointly by the province and city/county governments.

The main inspection targets are ▲unregistered lodging businesses suspected of operating in areas where lodging businesses are not permitted ▲unregistered suspected businesses posted on blogs and online brokerage platforms ▲lodging businesses registered but operating with illegal extensions or through irregular methods.

During the inspection period, businesses that voluntarily report will be guided to operate after registering their business according to relevant laws, and houses that cannot register as lodging businesses but operate as guesthouses will be encouraged to voluntarily close.

Under the current Public Health Control Act, lodging businesses must report to the competent administrative authority when operating, and failure to report may result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won.

As part of the special inspection, the province also plans to check compliance with quarantine guidelines in food, public, and mental health facilities to prevent the resurgence of COVID-19.

Inspections related to quarantine guidelines will be conducted until the 30th of next month, and re-inspections will be carried out for businesses that require on-site corrections to verify improvements.

Kim Seok-pil, Director of the Low Birthrate and Health Welfare Office of the province, said, “Illegal lodging businesses often lack facilities and equipment necessary for tourist safety, posing a high risk of accidents,” and added, “We will do our best to eradicate illegal lodging businesses.”