Urban homeowners can now rent rooms to local travelers

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Urban homeowners can now rent rooms to local travelers

Published: 09 Jan. 2019, 20:00

The Korean government said Wednesday that it will allow residents in urban areas to share their homes with local travelers as the government pushes to boost the sharing economy.

By revising the country’s Tourism Promotion Act, residents in urban areas can rent rooms to Koreans for up to 180 days a year, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said.

A formal bill regulating house-sharing was submitted to the parliamentary committee on culture, sports and tourism in 2017, though no significant progress has yet been made.

Residents in rural communities can currently share rooms in their homes with both Koreans and foreigners, while Koreans in urban areas can only share rooms with foreigners.Airbnb, a global house-sharing platform, has launched a campaign for changes to be made to the Tourism Promotion Act.

Yonhap