Eliminating Overcharges During Vacation Season... Gyeonggi Province Continues On-Site Price Stability Inspections

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 7th that it has designated the end of this month as a ‘special price stability initiative period during summer vacation season’ and will conduct on-site inspections in close cooperation with municipal and county governments.

This inspection is being carried out to prevent temporary price increases and unfair commercial practices such as overcharges during the peak summer season, and to establish sound commercial transaction practices.

By municipal and county unit, joint inspection teams will be formed with local merchant associations and consumer organizations to target restaurants and accommodation establishments around major vacation destinations, with focused checks on △implementation of price display requirements △excessive price increases △compliance with country-of-origin labeling △consumer inconveniences and other issues.

Key inspection targets include overcharge cases that cause inconvenience to users, such as installing mats and collecting seat fees in locations that individuals cannot own, such as beaches and valleys; providing food not listed on the menu and requesting separate payment; and applying discriminatory pricing to foreigners.

Additionally, to minimize consumer damage caused by overcharges, Gyeonggi Province plans to continuously accept complaints through the Gyeonggi Province Call Center (031-120) and the Korean Tourism Organization's Tourism Complaint Center (1330), and will promptly process received complaints through on-site investigations and cooperation with relevant organizations, implementing strict management.

On July 30th, Gyeonggi Province visited Guobong Island in Ansan City to inspect the status of summer price stability. On that day, Gwon Ju-seong, Economic Planning Director, heard about the local commercial conditions and operational difficulties of accommodation businesses from the president of the Guobong Island Merchant Association and the head of Ansan City Small Business Support Division.

Economic Planning Director Gwon Ju-seong stated, “Price stability during vacation season is an important factor in increasing tourist satisfaction and building trust in the regional economy,” and urged, “We hope that Ansan City and the merchant association will take the lead in maintaining appropriate prices and promoting autonomous price stabilization efforts.”

Gyeonggi Province plans to continuously monitor price trends centered on major vacation destinations until the end of the vacation season, and is committed to actively working with municipal and county governments, merchant associations, and consumer organizations to eliminate overcharges, establish sound commercial transaction practices, and create a trustworthy tourism environment.