{
  "id": 5885196,
  "title": "Tourist complaints in Korea hit record high amid travel boom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/tourist-complaints-in-korea-hit-record-high-amid-travel-boom-5885196",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-06T02:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20260906/tourist-complaints-in-korea-hit-record-high-amid-travel-boom"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korea experienced a record number of tourist complaints this year, according to data released on Sunday. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) reported that 1,753 complaints were filed between January and July, surpassing the 1,744 cases from the previous year. The rising number of grievances has prompted calls for improved tourism services, particularly as international visitors have expressed dissatisfaction with issues like excessive accommodation cancellation fees and other problems during major events, such as concerts by the popular K-pop group BTS.\n\nThe surge in complaints began during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the total number of grievances fell, but has increased consistently since 2023. This year's complaints have already surpassed those of the entire 2023. The breakdown by region shows that Seoul, the capital city, recorded the highest number of complaints at 665, followed by Busan in the southeast with 594, Incheon with 176, and the southern resort island of Jeju with 15.",
  "summary": "Tourist complaints in Korea have hit a record high this year, data showed Sunday, with problems ranging from reckless taxi driving to overcharging at shopping malls. A total of 1,753 complaints were filed nationwide between January and July this year, already surpassing the 1,744 cases reported last year, according to the data compiled by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). The growing number…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Tourist complaints in S. Korea hit record high amid travel boom",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/tourist-complaints-in-s-korea-hit-record-high-amid-travel-boom",
        "published": "2026-09-06T01:32:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Tourist complaints in Korea hit record high amid travel boom",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/tourist-complaints-in-korea-hit-record-high-amid-travel-boom",
        "published": "2026-09-06T01:57:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "South Korea exports surpass full-year record, hit US$709.4bil",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/south-korea-exports-surpass-full-year-record-hit-us-709-4bil",
        "published": "2026-09-06T05:30:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}