Korea extends hotel cancellation window to 24 hours

The Fair Trade Commission announced that it revised the "consumer dispute resolution standard" to reduce disputes between the accommodation industry and consumers, and it will be implemented on the 27th.

According to the revised plan, the previous standard of "the day of the contract" was extended to "within 24 hours after the contract" to address the issue of unfair differences in cancellation times depending on the contract time. For example, a contract made at 9 a.m. allowed a 15-hour cancellation window, whereas a contract made at 9 p.m. only allowed a 3-hour window.

However, in cases where the intended use date overlaps with 24 hours after the contract, a proviso was added to limit the penalty-free cancellation time to midnight of the day before the intended use date. The Fair Trade Commission urged the accommodation industry to clearly notify the application timeframe to prevent disputes, granting a grace period if time is needed to adjust their internal reservation systems.