Seoul Mayor Oh inspects capsule hotel safety amid record tourist arrivals

As foreign tourist arrivals in Seoul hit an all-time high, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is moving to ensure visitors can stay in safe accommodations.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited a capsule-style lodging facility in Jongno-gu on Wednesday to personally inspect fire suppression systems and evacuation conditions, and to review the city's fire safety measures for small lodging establishments, the city said.

About 13.14 million foreign tourists visited Seoul from January through September, a 21.5% increase from about 10.82 million during the same period last year and the highest figure ever recorded for that stretch. The share of foreign tourists staying in hostels also rose, from 9.7% in 2023 to 13.2% in 2025.

The inspection was organized to assess on-site safety conditions in response to growing tourism demand and a shifting lodging landscape, and to eliminate safety blind spots in spaces where tourists stay. Capsule hotels and other high-density lodging facilities are of particular concern: their structural design — many guests packed into a confined space — can make rapid evacuation difficult in the event of a fire, raising the risk of casualties.

During the visit, Oh received a briefing on the state of Seoul's tourist accommodations and related measures, then toured the facility to check the installation of fire suppression and evacuation equipment, including automatic fire-suppression devices.

The city drew up a comprehensive fire safety plan for small lodging establishments in May, following a fire at a capsule hotel in Sogong-dong in March. A Japanese woman in her 50s who was staying at the facility died in that fire. The absence of a sprinkler system was identified as a contributing factor.

A full survey of all 7,958 lodging facilities in Seoul conducted by the city in May found that more than 90 percent lacked sprinkler systems.

In response, the city has been stepping up fire safety management, with a focus on high-density tourist accommodations and improvements to fire suppression equipment.

In addition, to close regulatory gaps in fire safety management for small lodging facilities, the city has submitted 13 proposed regulatory reforms to five central government ministries. The proposals call for tightening building safety standards and fire equipment installation requirements, and for stronger oversight of room configurations and occupancy density across the lodging sector.

The city said it plans to continue monitoring fire safety vulnerabilities at small lodging facilities in line with changes in tourism demand and the accommodation environment, and to work with relevant agencies to create a lodging environment where tourists can stay with peace of mind.

"As tourist numbers grow, capsule hotels and other high-density lodging facilities are expanding rapidly, but swift evacuation in a fire is difficult, making safety management critical," Oh said. "We will actively encourage the installation of fire suppression equipment such as automatic fire-suppression devices and push the central government to improve related regulations, so that we can build a safe lodging environment where tourists can stay with confidence."