South Korea Travel Warning Remains Yellow – Tourists Must Pay Cancellation Fees to Drop Tours

Reported by ETtoday News reporters Zhang YN-cheng and Hong Kai-e from Taipei

Recently, Korean pop culture has surged in popularity across Taiwan, with South Korea now ranking as the fifth most popular travel destination for Taiwanese. However, amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the tourism industry has been hit hard. Tour bookings have dropped by 50% recently, and thousands of travelers have requested to cancel or change their tours. Yet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently maintains a “yellow” alert level for the country—signaling caution rather than outright danger. Travelers who wish to cancel

“I guess I have no choice but to go!” Though they should be excited about traveling to Korea, the registered travelers looked worried because they would lose a lot of money if they canceled their trips. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are high, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has temporarily maintained a “gray” travel alert for the country. That means those who have already signed up and now want to cancel will have to compensate the travel agency—so for now, they can only grit their teeth and go ahead with the trip.

Qu Guangfu, manager of a travel agency, pointed out that many of his colleagues had just returned from Seoul and noted that although the news reports suggest high tension, the situation has been easing. If customers insist on a refund, it will be handled according to Article 27 of the standardized overseas travel contract, with cancellation fees calculated based on how close the departure date is.

The agency assessed that the situation has improved and will proceed in accordance with the standardized travel contract. If travelers cancel between 2 and 20 days before departure, 30% of the tour fee will be deducted, and if they cancel one day before, 50% will be deducted. According to statistics, there are currently 74 tour groups—over 1,400 people—in Korea, but recent business has dropped by 50%. As for international and exchange students, there are more than 200, all of whom are being monitored by the authorities.

The good news is that, coordinated by the Tourism Bureau, to reduce travel disputes, passengers originally scheduled to fly with national airlines to and from Korea can now postpone or transfer to another group without paying any flight change fees. However, as North Korea’s threats remain at the level of mere rhetoric, it’s difficult to raise the travel alert level. For now, travelers who want to cancel their trips can only accept the loss.

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