Half of travelers using overseas booking platforms report problems, Seoul says

More than half of Korean travelers using foreign online accommodation platforms have experienced billing issues or customer service failures, prompting the Seoul Metropolitan Government to demand tighter regulatory oversight of global travel giants. According to the city government, Monday, an in-depth investigation into six major overseas booking platforms — including Agoda, Airbnb and Booking.com — revealed widespread use of deceptive design practices, commonly known as "dark patterns." These digital interfaces are deliberately structured to manipulate consumer choice and drive up transactional volumes. A joint monitoring initiative conducted alongside a domestic civic consumer group found that multiple platforms systematically attract travelers by displaying lower base prices that excluded mandatory taxes and hidden service fees. Customers only discovered the inflated final cost at the point of digital checkout, long after investing time in the booking process. Critical data regarding nonrefundable clauses and strict cancellation penalties were also routinely buried in microscopWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times