Local tourist spots face complaints over rude service, price gouging during peak season

A video still shows a YouTuber being mistreated at a well-known restaurant in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. (YouTube)

Popular tourist spots in South Korea are facing renewed criticism over long-standing issues of rudeness, unsanitary conditions and inflated lodging prices, as the summer peak season draws large crowds of domestic tourists.

In Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, a well-known restaurant sparked outrage after a female YouTuber posted a video on July 3 showing the owner berating her for dining alone. “Our place is not for a person to come alone. Eat quickly,” the owner is heard saying. When the customer attempted to pay after deciding to leave just mid-way through her food, feeling unwelcome, the owner told her to “just leave” and ushered her out. The YouTuber said she had been there for only 20 minutes and had ordered two portions.

The backlash prompted the restaurant to issue a public apology and temporarily close. Additionally, a subsequent inspection by the city’s food hygiene division found sanitary violations, resulting in a 500,000 won fine.

Other scandals have added to the city’s woes. On Friday, a restaurant in Yeosu’s Gyo-dong was caught reusing leftover food and ordered to close for 15 days.

Yeosu officials announced they will inspect all restaurants from Monday to Thursday for hygiene and customer service, banning practices such as forcing solo diners to order multiple portions.

Vendors at the Dongmyeong Port Squid Market in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, hold a meeting on Friday at the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives in Sokcho to apologize for a recent customer service dispute and to pledge measures to prevent recurrence. (Yonhap)

Similar incidents have surfaced in Sokcho. In June, a seafood stall in the city’s popular Dongmyeong Port Squid Market was filmed pressuring a solo diner to eat quickly. “Isn’t this a bit much after only 14 minutes?” the customer asked in the video, which recently went viral. The vendor has been ordered to close until the end of August, and the entire market will observe a six-day voluntary shutdown for retraining from Aug. 17 to Aug. 22.

Meanwhile, lodging costs in Gangneung, Chuncheon and Hongcheon, all in Gangwon Province, have soared. Weekend peak-season rates for a four-person room for one night have reached 1 million won ($720) for pensions and 2 million won for hotels, with some motels charging 400,000 won — more than triple off-season prices.

The controversies come amid Gangwon Province's promotion of 2025-2026 as “Visit Gangwon Year” in a bid to boost tourism. “We can’t regulate room rates, but we are running a consumer complaint program and looking at broader industry reforms,” a provincial official said.

Critics warn that without addressing service culture and pricing abuses, the region risks damaging its reputation among both domestic and international travelers.