Calls are growing to overhaul Korea's sharing-economy lodging system as expanding accommodation infrastructure emerges as a key task for K-tourism ahead of the era of 30 million foreign visitors. The argument is that, rather than focusing solely on attracting tourists, the country must also expand the supply of lodging where they can actually stay and broaden the foundation for regional stays.
The Korea Homestay Association said Thursday that it had attended a debate titled "Tourism Infrastructure Innovation Measures to Resolve Bottlenecks in K-Tourism Growth," held the previous day at the National Assembly Members' Office Building and hosted by Rep. Kim Jae-won, where it stressed the need to improve regulations on the urban homestay business for foreign tourists.
The debate was organized out of a shared concern that, even as inbound tourism demand recovers rapidly on the back of expanding K-content, discussions on accommodation and stay infrastructure remain relatively limited. Officials from the government, academia, civil society and the tourism and lodging industries discussed ways to expand lodging supply and diversify stay infrastructure in preparation for the era of 30 million foreign visitors.
Ahead of the discussion, Jung Ran-soo, an adjunct professor in the Department of Tourism at Hanyang University, said that supply centered on existing hotels alone has its limits in the era of 30 million foreign tourists, and proposed reviewing diverse lodging models, including urban homestays and special exemptions for tourism special zones.
The debate was attended by Lee Seung-jae, director of the Tourism Industry Promotion Division at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Chae Bo-young, chair of the Korea Homestay Association; Ahn So-yeon, a sharing-economy lodging operator; Ko Kyung-gon, an advisory member of the Local Governments Council for Sustainable Tourism; and Ko Young-dae, a professor at Sejong University. Kim Ji-hoon, chief specialist at law firm Shin & Kim, served as the moderator. Participants agreed that expanding tourism content alone cannot meet the rising demand for visits to Korea, and that expanding lodging supply and utilizing idle spaces must be discussed together.
Chair Chae explained that the way foreign tourists travel is shifting from visiting tourist attractions to experiencing the everyday life and living culture of local areas. In a recent survey by a sharing-economy lodging platform, 94% of overseas travelers said K-culture had influenced their interest in traveling to Korea, while 91% said experiencing local culture was important during their trip to Korea.
"Foreign tourists view not only hanok but also old houses, alley atmospheres and neighborhood commercial districts themselves as interesting travel experiences," Chae said. "Lodging is no longer simply a place to sleep but is becoming a touchpoint for tourism through which travelers experience local daily life and culture."
However, there were also points raised that the current system is failing to keep pace with these changes in demand. "The urban homestay business for foreign tourists is a system designed to allow visitors to experience Korea's living culture, but residency requirements and other rules make it difficult to flexibly respond to changing tourism demand," Chae said.
In a survey the Korea Homestay Association conducted in August 2025 on 400 sharing-economy lodging operators and prospective founders, the residency requirement was cited as a major regulation making sharing-economy lodging operations difficult. The association explained that the current residency requirement can limit independent stay experiences for tourists and place a burden on hosts, who must continuously open up their personal living spaces.
The association's position is that regulations that do not match the realities on the ground, such as residency requirements and resident consent procedures, should be reviewed from the perspective of changing tourism demand and coexistence with local communities. Since sharing-economy lodging can serve as a channel connecting foreign tourists to alley commercial districts and local living areas, the association argues that a structure should be put in place to manage it within the regulatory framework rather than restricting it outright.
The association also noted that resident consent procedures need to be supplemented. Rather than determining whether a business can operate based solely on prior consent, it argued that a post-management system capable of quickly responding when actual complaints arise is needed. The association proposed alternatives such as posting notices outside lodging facilities, disclosing operators' contact information and complaint-filing channels, and establishing a dispute mediation system involving the association, local governments and local communities.
"Sharing-economy lodging is an important touchpoint that allows foreign tourists to experience Korea's daily life and local culture," Chae said. "We need discussions on improving the system that consider both revitalizing local tourism and expanding lodging supply."
