Korean travel agency punished for forcing travelers to shop

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday that a travel agency was reported by a Chinese tourist last February for forcing them to go shopping during their tour in Korea.

Tourists look at products displayed at a store in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on May 7. [NEWS1]

The government penalized a travel agency specializing in inbound Chinese tourists in Korea for charging "unreasonably" low prices upfront and then forcing its customers to go shopping.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday that a travel agency was reported by a Chinese tourist last February for forcing them to go shopping during their tour in Korea. The report was made to the Tourist Complaint Center and investigated by the government afterward.

The agency was also found to have rented its corporate license to unauthorized travel agencies and was ordered on Tuesday to shut down for a month, the Culture Ministry said.

The Culture Ministry has been carrying out inspections and investigations on domestic travel agencies to ensure a sound tourist industry in Korea, especially to prevent agencies from offering low prices and then forcing them to spend money elsewhere, like at duty free shops, or renting out their corporate license and collecting fees from doing so.

Fifty-one penalties were given during the first quarter of 2024 as a result of the inspection, including 17 against companies that failed to give a proper report to the government, one for renting its corporate license and one for its low-priced tour packages.

Tourists look at products displayed at a store in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on May 7. [NEWS1]

The government will tighten its grip on travel agencies with a revised set of regulations on domestic tourism in order to protect inbound tourists, especially now that large groups of Chinese tourists have once again started traveling to Korea since last August, the Culture Ministry said Wednesday.

In return, the government will also increase its support for travel agencies by providing training sessions, opening competitions for high-quality tourist packages and holding overseas marketing projects.

"Inbound tourism has recently been making a remarkable recovery and is expected to accelerate with the summer vacation season coming up," the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a press release.

"The Culture Ministry will take strict actions against unfair practices within the tourist industry but also provide generous support for high-quality agencies in order to increase the value of the tourism market."

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]