Busan City has decided to take strong action against excessive price hikes, known as "overcharging," by lodging establishments ahead of the BTS concert scheduled for June 12-13. On the 17th, Busan City announced the operation of the "Overcharging QR Reporting System," which allows tourists to directly report unfair lodging fees. This system enables domestic and international tourists to scan a QR code and report overcharging, which is then forwarded to the relevant local governments and related agencies through the Korea Tourism Organization.

Busan City distributed stickers and posters to promote the QR reporting system at lodging establishments and posted related banners on the city's official website. Additionally, joint inspection teams with district and county offices will conduct on-site inspections starting next week targeting lodging facilities reported online. If unfair practices such as charging excessive fees or failing to meet reservation conditions are confirmed, these will be reflected in hotel rating evaluations.

This measure comes in response to the sharp rise in lodging fees in Busan during the BTS concert period. Around Haeundae Station, the one-night stay rates surged from about 600,000 won to as high as 1,200,000 won before and after the concert dates. On lodging reservation platforms, the deluxe double room rate at a Busan luxury hotel on the day of the concert was set at 785,000 won. This is more than double compared to the previous week (298,000 won) and the following week (390,000 won). A well-known 4-star chain hotel in Haeundae also sold rooms, usually priced in the 300,000 won range, for about 670,000 won on the concert day.

Cases of lodging fees soaring ahead of large events or concerts in Busan have repeatedly occurred. During the Busan Fireworks Festival last November, some accommodations charged over 1,000,000 won per night, and there were reports of prices rising sharply from 650,000 won to 2,000,000 won. During BTS's concert supporting Busan's bid for the 2030 World Expo in October 2022, more than 25 reports of overcharging were filed, mainly targeting lodging near the concert venue.

President Lee Jae-myung described the overcharging issue as "a malicious act that disrupts the entire market order and causes great harm to everyone," emphasizing that "it must be eradicated." He added, "Measures should ensure that the losses incurred from being caught overcharging far exceed any unfair profits gained."

Busan City plans to hold meetings with related agencies to review the overall tourism accommodation readiness. Once the BTS concert venue is confirmed, information on lodging clusters with good access to the concert hall and public transportation will be provided through social media platforms to alleviate lodging demand concentration.

Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan, stated, "We will prevent unfair lodging transactions in advance by combining the Overcharging QR Reporting System with on-site inspections," and added, "Busan City will mobilize all available administrative resources to support the successful hosting of this concert."

According to the current Public Health Control Act, lodging operators must comply with posted lodging fees, and violations may result in imprisonment for up to six months or fines of up to 5 million won. Busan City plans to strengthen monitoring of lodging fee increases based on these legal grounds.