Screenshot from JTV News shows South Korean President Lee Jae-myung chairs a briefing on the preparations for hosting the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session in Busan, on May 27, 2026.

With two months to go before Busan hosts the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung inspected preparations and urged the city to address controversy over alleged accommodation price gouging. Lee noted that many Chinese tourists have been visiting Busan. He also mentioned that unfriendliness, overcharging and racial discrimination are among the biggest threats to the city's tourism industry, saying such practices could seriously damage Busan's image, according to South Korean media.

At a briefing on preparations for the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Haeundae District, Busan, Lee raised the issue while discussing large-scale international events and efforts to attract tourists, according to South Korean media the Financial News.

Lee said "If talk of lodging price gouging comes up again when we host large-scale events in the future, it will badly damage Busan's image," and urged officials to "prepare and respond well." In particular, he addressed reports that some lodging businesses had raised prices and canceled reservations ahead of the BTS concert, according to the report.

With BTS concerts scheduled in Busan on the 12th and 13th of next month, reports on online communities of one-night rates in the Busan area reaching up to several million won have sparked controversy, per Kyunghyang Shinmun.

According to a video of the briefing released by JTV News, an official said during the meeting that cruises from China were increasing rapidly and that Busan would strengthen its tourism reception system to attract more visitors. Lee then noted that when he visited Jagalchi Market, merchants told him that many Chinese tourists had been coming and that Chinese visitors, in particular, had strong consumption demand for food.

Lee then said that it shows Busan is a region with enormous potential, especially in tourism. But the biggest obstacles to tourism are unfriendliness, overcharging and, in particular, forms of racial discrimination, which can do great damage. These are things they need to be careful about, according to JTV News.


Global Times