South Korea rolls out public services to ease summer vacation costs

A set of public services offering discounts on accommodation, dining and activities at domestic travel destinations — along with government- and employer-backed vacation subsidies — is drawing attention as the summer holiday season gets underway. Foreign tourists can also use a travel interpretation service available in eight languages.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety on Wednesday announced three lifestyle-oriented public services designed to reduce travel costs and improve convenience during the summer: a digital tourism resident card, the 1330 tourism interpretation hotline and a worker vacation support program.

The digital tourism resident card gives tourists visiting population-declining areas — such as Taebaek in Gangwon Province and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province — discounts on admission fees, accommodation, restaurants and activity programs.

Eight additional regions, including Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province and Damyang in South Jeolla Province, joined the program in June, bringing the total to 52 regions and more than 1,500 participating merchants nationwide. The program aims to ease travelers' expenses while drawing visitors to population-declining areas to boost local economies.

The card can be issued through the Korea Tourism Organization's "Daehanminguk Guseokguseok" website and mobile application.

Travelers who need information on tourist sites, transportation, accommodation or restaurants while in Korea can call the 1330 tourism interpretation hotline. The service also handles tourism complaints and provides interpretation in emergencies.

It operates in eight languages, including Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, and is accessible by dialing 1330 without an area code or through text chat on KakaoTalk and Line. The hotline runs year-round from 7 a.m. to midnight.

The worker vacation support program, through which the government and employers jointly subsidize domestic travel costs, is also available. Workers at participating companies who contribute 200,000 won ($136) receive an additional 100,000 won each from their employer and the government, bringing the total vacation fund to 400,000 won, disbursed as points.

The points can be used to purchase accommodation, transportation, and leisure and activity products through a dedicated online store. Employees of mid-sized companies, small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners are eligible. Companies wishing to participate can apply through the program's official website.

The ministry selected these three services for its "Innovation Services — Summer Vacation Edition" feature, citing growing demand for affordable domestic travel and a rising number of foreign tourists visiting Korea. Details are available on the government innovation website "Sotong Hyeoksin 24" and on official social media channels including YouTube and Instagram.

Noh Hong-seok, director general of the ministry's participatory innovation and organization bureau, said he hoped more people would use the public services to travel comfortably without financial strain and that the initiative would help revitalize domestic tourism. "We will continue to identify and promote lifestyle-oriented public services that citizens can directly feel in their daily lives," he added.