Strict Crackdown on Professional and Organized Illegal Lodging Using Officetels and Houses
Eradication of Unregistered Lodging Operations Abusing Shared Accommodation Brokerage Platforms
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit announced on the 2nd that it will conduct an intensive investigation until the end of December targeting professional operators who run illegal lodging facilities by securing officetels and houses without lodging business registration and using online brokerage platforms such as Airbnb to cater to tourists visiting Seoul.
As of June, the number of registered urban lodging businesses in Seoul is only 1,150, but more than 10,000 illegal lodging establishments can be found on shared lodging internet sites without any verification, causing social problems. The Civil Affairs Unit plans to investigate suspected illegal businesses in tourist-dense areas around historical sites and downtown areas such as the Blue House and Gwanghwamun Square.
For this inspection, the unit is closely sharing information with 25 autonomous districts and collecting complaints raised by citizens. Based on continuous inspections of shared lodging internet sites like Airbnb, houses (multi-family houses) and officetels suspected of operating without registration will be targeted for crackdown. Since officetels are classified as office facilities under the Building Act and cannot operate lodging businesses under the Public Health Control Act, lodging operations using them are illegal.
If a resident intends to provide accommodation to tourists within their home, they must register as a foreign tourist lodging business with the relevant administrative agency and install fire safety facilities to ensure guest safety. Foreign tourist lodging requires the business owner to reside on-site at all times, equip at least one fire extinguisher within the facility, and install standalone smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms in each room. Additionally, when applying for a shared lodging business exception on domestic shared lodging platforms like WeHome, lodging for domestic guests is allowed for up to 180 days.
Seoul City plans to criminally charge unregistered lodging businesses caught during this investigation and notify related agencies to prevent damages caused by illegal lodging operations. Citizens are encouraged to report through the Seoul City website. Unregistered lodging operators face imprisonment of up to two years or fines up to 20 million KRW under the Public Health Control Act. If citizens contribute to public interest by reporting criminal acts with decisive evidence, rewards of up to 200 million KRW are provided according to the ordinance.
Kim Myung-joo, head of the Seoul Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit, said, “Through investigations of unregistered and unlicensed illegal lodging businesses in close cooperation with 25 autonomous districts, we will do our best to ensure safe travel for tourists visiting Seoul.”
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