Significant Disagreement Between Guest and Motel Owner
Guest A Plans to Report to Local District Office and Proceed with Criminal Complaint
Recently, a man who stayed at a motel in Seoul suffered severe hives due to bugs crawling all over the bed and reported the motel to the district office, and it is known that he is even considering filing a criminal complaint.
Video filmed by motel guest Mr. A. When lifting the sheet at the corner of the bed, it reveals a scene full of bugs and larvae. [Video source=Yonhap News]
According to a Yonhap News report on the 15th, a man in his 30s, identified as Mr. A, stayed at a motel with his colleagues on a business trip to oversee a construction site in Seoul on the 1st. He stayed on the 5th floor, while two other colleagues booked rooms on the 2nd floor.
However, starting from the third day of his stay, Mr. A developed hives on his body, which worsened by the fifth day, and by the ninth day, the condition became so severe that he was unable to work. The hives appeared on areas not covered by clothing, such as his buttocks, neck, arms, legs, and face, which were in direct contact with the bed sheets. After visiting the emergency room of a nearby large hospital, the doctor identified mites as the likely cause.
Upon returning to the motel, Mr. A lifted the bed sheets and was shocked to find many bugs crawling in the folded corners of the sheets, which were also heavily stained black. On the 10th, he recorded three videos of the bugs and posted them on online communities, which sparked widespread attention to the incident.
Netizens who saw the videos commented, "A lodging place in Seoul with mites?" "Bed bugs, they bite dozens of times at once. It itches more than ten times worse than mosquito bites." "Disgusting." "It seems that the motel only changes the pads and not the sheets." "How poorly must they be cleaning? This is really unacceptable," among other remarks.
The motel claims to regularly clean and disinfect the rooms and change bed sheets whenever guests change, but it was confirmed that cleaning and disinfection might not be done promptly in rooms occupied by long-term guests. The bugs were found only in Mr. A’s room and not in the rooms occupied by his colleagues or other customers.
Due to the hives, Mr. A was too itchy and painful to work for two days and has been receiving continuous treatment with medication and injections at the hospital, but his symptoms have not completely subsided yet. Eventually, after moving to another accommodation, he demanded compensation for lost wages during the two days he could not work and consolation money for the hive damage from the motel, but the motel only offered to cover the medical expenses.
The motel owner told Yonhap News, "We disinfect the rooms every two months, but since there are many long-term guests, sometimes cleaning is delayed. We admit that we could have cleaned more diligently." He added, "We discarded all bedding in the room where Mr. A stayed and conducted bug removal and thorough disinfection. We heard the bugs were dust mites." He continued, "We offered to pay Mr. A’s medical bills and let him continue staying at the motel, but he is demanding lost wages and consolation money. We have been in business for over 20 years, and this is the first time something like this has happened. There is also a possibility that Mr. A, working at a construction site, brought bacteria with him. We will strengthen disinfection efforts as a result of this incident."
In response, Mr. A said, "I showed the motel owner the sheets with bugs, but he does not seem to understand the seriousness of the problem," and raised his voice, saying, "I will hold them fully accountable to prevent others from suffering similar damage."
Mr. A reported the motel to the public health department of the district office that has jurisdiction over the motel and plans to proceed with a criminal complaint for negligence causing injury. The district office is expected to issue corrective orders and fines after an on-site investigation. A district office official stated, "We have received Mr. A’s complaint and plan to conduct an on-site investigation. Administrative measures will be taken according to procedures." The official also explained, "We conduct joint inspections with Seoul City once a year for lodging businesses in the district and also carry out surprise inspections."
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