"Paid Accommodation Fee but Reservation Not Confirmed" Controversy Over Evajong 'Muk-twi' Under Police Investigation

EvaJong Hotel Reservation Agency
Controversy Over Not Paying Hotel Despite Receiving Accommodation Fees
Police Begin Investigation to Confirm Damages

Photo by Evajong Homepage

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Online hotel booking agency Evajong is facing controversy over 'eating and running' after receiving advance payments for hotel stays from customers but failing to remit the funds to the hotels. With over 150 confirmed victims, the police have launched an investigation.

According to the industry on the 9th, Evajong is an agency that sells domestic and international hotels and resorts at discounts ranging from 30% to 70% for a limited period. It gained popularity among consumers through various promotions, but since last month, cases have emerged where Evajong received accommodation fees from customers but did not transfer the money to the hotels, causing damages. Just before hotel stays, customers received messages from Evajong stating that due to financial difficulties, customers should make payments on their behalf as a form of re-payment, and that Evajong would reimburse them later. There were also cases where the hotels canceled reservations because payments were never made. The number of such victims currently reaches around 150.

Notice from the official website of Evajong.

Since the 2nd, Evajong has completely closed its office and all employees have started working from home. This has led to speculation that the company might be preparing to shut down. On its official website, Evajong announced, "This is not a measure for business closure but to handle more customers online and continue operations," and added, "We ask for your understanding as we will respond sequentially after verification."

The Seoul Namdaemun Police Station has begun investigating the case to determine the scale of the damage. It is reported that a travel ban was imposed on the CEO of Evajong on the 2nd.