In data released on the 24th by lawmaker Kim Yoon-deok, citing a Yanolja Research report, about 11% of English-language online posts about travel in Korea contained complaints, higher than about 7% for Japan. The top complaint category was digital services such as sign-up and login, at 27.8%.
According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, Yanolja Research analyzed English-language Reddit posts about travel in Korea from January 2023 to December 2025. About 11% of them contained at least one complaint, compared with about 7% for Japan measured the same way. Rep. Kim Yoon-deok released the report on the 24th.
광고 문의 · 300×250By category, complaints about Korea were led by digital services at 27.8%, followed by tourist information at 16.4%, transportation at 13.1% and payment at 12.0%. These four categories made up 69.3% of all complaints. Japan’s were transportation at 23%, sightseeing and experiences at 15.9% and dining at 12.8%, a different pattern.
Blocked at sign-up and payment
Specific cases included difficult account sign-up and login and demands for a Korean phone number. Foreign credit cards or Apple Pay were declined, some places took only cash, and payment was blocked when buying train tickets. Korean apps that block overseas IP addresses, poorly working Google Maps, confusing domestic map apps and transit cards that can be topped up only with cash were also complaints.
Compared with Japan, the difference is clear. Japan’s complaints centered on getting around, such as complex rail lines and finding station exits, with relatively few problems at sign-up or payment. One reading is that in Korea visitors get stuck at the entrance, when they first try to use services after arriving.
Some feel unwelcome
Some visitors wrote that they felt unwelcome because of their nationality, and other posts said some shops refused entry to people who could not communicate in Korean or English. These findings come from analyzing online posts, however, so they cannot be taken as a direct measure of all tourists’ satisfaction.
Kim said tourists arrive expecting a lively, warm Korea and may feel unwelcome after such experiences, urging a whole-of-government response quickly. The Kyunghyang Shinmun report did not describe any specific response from the government.