Busan City has prepared measures to stabilize accommodation prices in anticipation of the BTS world tour concert in Busan. Ahead of the concert held from June 12 to 13, steps are being taken to prevent excessive accommodation fees in advance. Busan City plans to temporarily open university dormitories and public lodging facilities and strengthen crackdowns on unfair pricing practices.

At the "Price Stabilization Measures Meeting in Preparation for the BTS World Tour Busan Event," chaired by Seong Hee-yeop, Deputy Mayor for Future Innovation of Busan City, discussions were held on temporarily opening public institution training centers and youth training facilities to secure the maximum number of available rooms. Busan City decided to newly designate "Good Price Businesses" and expand incentives to encourage voluntary price stabilization.

Since the 16th, Busan City has established a "QR Code Reporting Center for Overcharging." Upon receiving reports, immediate on-site inspections are conducted, and corrective measures are implemented. On the 19th, it was confirmed that about 70 overcharging reports related to accommodation businesses for the BTS concert were received. A Busan City official stated, "If unfair pricing practices are confirmed, they will be reflected in hotel rating evaluations to impose substantial sanctions."

On the day of the concert, some accommodation fees rose more than tenfold compared to usual. A lodging facility in Dongnae-gu set its weekday room rate of 68,000 KRW to 769,000 KRW on June 12 and 13, respectively. A facility in Gijang-gun increased its weekday rate of 98,000 KRW to 502,000 KRW on the 12th and 431,000 KRW on the 13th. Some luxury hotels also saw room rates more than double.

Overcharging issues related to accommodation have also occurred in Seoul due to the BTS concert. Hotel room rates near Myeongdong and Gwanghwamun are 200,000 to 300,000 KRW higher than usual. Last year, Seoul City introduced a taxi QR reporting system for tourists and received 487 reports from foreigners. It is analyzed that the QR reporting system is effective in industries with standardized fare data.

President Lee Jae-myung mentioned overcharging on his X (formerly Twitter) on the 16th, calling it "a malicious tyranny that destroys the order of the entire market and causes great harm to everyone." He emphasized, "It must be eradicated."

Busan City is reviewing comprehensive countermeasures to stabilize accommodation prices in preparation for large-scale events. The public-private joint task force includes city departments, seven autonomous districts including Haeundae and Suyeong, Busan Tourism Organization, and organizations related to lodging, dining, and consumers. The meeting discussed ways to overcome institutional limitations that make direct sanctions on overcharging difficult.

Busan City plans to promote temporarily opening public lodging facilities such as university dormitories, auxiliary facilities, and youth training centers during future large events. It aims to encourage voluntary participation by expanding the designation and support of Good Price Businesses. Before the BTS concert, efforts will focus on newly designating lodging businesses within Good Price Businesses, simplifying application procedures, and streamlining review and designation processes to minimize the time required for designation.

Additionally, Busan City plans to strengthen the competitiveness of designated businesses through expanded incentives and promotion using social media (SNS) and other media. A public-private joint price stabilization campaign and a voluntary improvement resolution meeting for business operators will be held to encourage self-regulation among merchants. Immediate inspections and corrective actions will be taken for lodging businesses reported for overcharging.

Based on the measures discussed at the meeting, Busan City plans to establish a "Sector-Specific Continuous Response Manual" that can be immediately activated during large events. This manual will consist of four core tasks: rapid identification and securing of available lodging capacity, immediate on-site and joint inspections upon receiving reports, provision of incentives and promotion such as designation of Good Price Businesses, and expansion of public-private cooperation campaigns.

Busan City stated that all departments and related agencies will respond with full force to resolve the overcharging issue. Seong Hee-yeop, Deputy Mayor for Future Innovation, emphasized, "Repeated excessive price increases during large events are a serious matter that damages Busan's city image as well as the brand and trustworthiness of businesses."