Busan City Conducts Special Hygiene Inspections for Lodging and Bathhouse Businesses

Bedbug Infestations Found in Accommodation and Bathhouse Businesses in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Anxiety Relief and Hygiene Level Improvement

Inspections of All Accommodation and Bathhouse Businesses Conducted in Two Phases from the 13th to De

Busan City will conduct a special hygiene management inspection targeting all accommodation and bathhouse businesses in Busan from the 13th of this month until the 29th of next month.

Special Hygiene Inspection.

This special inspection was prepared to alleviate citizens' concerns caused by recent cases of bedbugs found in accommodation and bathhouse businesses in the metropolitan area and to improve the hygiene standards of facilities where citizens rest.

The inspection will be prioritized for accommodation and bathhouse facilities that have a history of bedbug occurrences among public hygiene businesses.

There are a total of 2,016 accommodation businesses and 708 bathhouse businesses in the city.

The inspection will be conducted in two phases, with autonomous inspection teams from the Accommodation Association and Bathhouse Association, along with inspection teams from 16 districts and counties, visiting the sites to promote self-management by each facility.

The first inspection phase will run from November 13 to December 8, focusing first on accommodation businesses with 20 or more rooms and bathhouse businesses equipped with jjimjil (sauna) facilities. The goal of the first phase is to inspect more than 70% of all facilities.

The second inspection phase will take place from December 11 to December 29, during which additional inspections will be conducted on facilities found lacking in the first phase, along with thorough hygiene inspections of all facilities.

The main focus of the inspection is on cleanliness maintenance, including disinfection of accommodation and bathhouse businesses.

For accommodation businesses, emphasis will be placed on whether disinfection is performed at least once a month in rooms, reception desks, lobby facilities, bathrooms, and shower facilities, as well as the cleanliness of bedding such as sheets, blankets, and pillows, and towels within the rooms.

For bathhouse businesses, daily cleaning at least once or more will be checked in changing rooms, lockers, bath areas, and rest areas. When providing towels, gowns, and rental clothes, the cleanliness of laundry facilities and storage of supplies will also be verified if self-laundering is conducted.

Along with this hygiene inspection, the city will distribute a ‘Bedbug Information Booklet’ to managers of accommodation and bathhouse businesses and provide guidance.

The revised ‘Bedbug Information Booklet’ as of November 9 includes ▲ characteristics of bedbugs ▲ methods for day and night detection of bedbugs ▲ chemical and physical control measures ▲ bedbug prevention methods, as well as a checklist for bedbug detection, reporting suspected bedbug cases, contact information for pest control inquiries, photos comparing bedbug bites with other insect bites, and frequently asked questions and answers related to bedbugs.

To encourage autonomous management by business operators, the city will hold a hygiene organization meeting for accommodation and bathhouse businesses on November 13, aiming to enable operators to continuously monitor hygiene pests such as bedbugs on their own.

Lee Sora, Director of the Citizen Health Bureau, stated, “To alleviate citizens’ concerns about bedbug occurrences in accommodation and bathhouse businesses where many unspecified people stay, we are proactively conducting hygiene inspections of related facilities. We also plan to work with related organizations to guide and support hygiene businesses so they can autonomously manage and monitor these issues.” She added, “Our city will continue to do its best in hygiene management so that citizens can use accommodation and bathhouse businesses with peace of mind.”