Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Korea eases rules to let older city homes join guesthouse market as tourism surges
Local and international tourists line up to enter Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Korea is easing regulations on urban guesthouses for foreign tourists, allowing homeowners to register properties built more than 30 years ago, provided they meet safety standards, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday.
The revision comes as a follow-up measure to a pledge made during the 10th National Tourism Strategy Meeting held on Sept. 25, aimed at accommodating the rise in inbound travel demand.
Under current guidelines, homes that are 30 years or older cannot be registered as foreigner-friendly urban homestay businesses, regardless of their safety conditions. However, the new rules will allow registration of such properties if they comply with safety measures under the Building Act and Building Management Act.
Local governments will check whether a property is labeled as "violation" and seek input from architects or safety experts to assess structural soundness, if needed.
The government also overhauled evaluation standards for foreign-language services.
Previously, operators were assessed mainly on fluency. Under the revised rules, they can be deemed to provide adequate foreign language service if they can guide tourists using translation apps or other technology tools, as long as essential information about facilities, services and Korean culture is effectively delivered.
A requirement tied to standardized language test scores — such as the tourism interpreter guide certification benchmark of a TOEIC score of 760 — will be scrapped. Instead, operators will be evaluated on whether they have systems in place to provide practical assistance and offer convenience to foreign visitors.
The changes are expected to lower the barrier to entry for residents seeking to operate urban guesthouses for foreign guests, according to officials.
“We hope foreign travelers will enjoy richer cultural and lodging experiences at urban homestays as a result,” a ministry official said.
Government officials have initially set an ambitious annual target of 18.5 million inbound visitors this year, aiming to expand that figure to 30 million by 2028. The country’s inbound tourism sector has posted robust growth this year, with the number of foreign visitors expected to surpass 20 million by the end of the year, which would be a record high for the country.