Today we have three news items with fixed dates. The standards for fines regarding accommodation brokerage were promulgated today, and applications for the traditional market support project begin today.
Today’s Key Highlights
- A fine of 5 million won for brokering accommodation products without a business registration certificate, effective Thursday, November 12.
- Application period for the 2027 Traditional Market and Shopping District Revitalization Support Project: Tuesday, October 20 – Monday, November 16.
- Legislative notice for the Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act regarding non-face-to-face medical treatment; opinion collection from October 19 to Monday, November 9.
1. 5 Million Won Fine for Failure to Verify Business Registration Certificates for Accommodation Brokerage
- What is changing: The Ministry of Health and Welfare promulgated a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Public Health Control Act on October 20. Mail-order brokers, such as online platforms, must verify the business registration certificate of accommodation businesses and are prohibited from brokering accommodation products that cannot be verified. Violations will result in a fine of 5 million won. Even products already registered before the law takes effect must be verified if they are to continue being brokered after the enforcement date. The scope of application includes not only online travel agencies that receive product registrations directly from accommodation providers but also platforms that facilitate sales by linking and exposing products from other companies. The Ministry also distributed operational guidelines.
- Who is affected: Accommodation reservation platform operators and accommodation providers listing accommodations on platforms.
- Effective from: Thursday, November 12, 2026.
- Administrative Agent’s Note: Since platforms may request copies of registration certificates or registration numbers, accommodation providers should pre-emptively check whether their business registration status and registered information match. This news is a follow-up to the briefing on October 5, and the fine amount has now been finalized.
- Source: Policy Briefing · Ministry of Health and Welfare Press Release: 5 Million Won Fine for Brokering Accommodation Without Business Registration Certificate
2. Application for the 2027 Traditional Market and Shopping District Revitalization Support Project
- What is changing: The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is recruiting participants for five projects: Cultural Tourism-type Markets, Market Management Support, Traditional Market Safety Management Package, Regional Product Exhibitions, and Excellent Market Fairs. For Cultural Tourism-type Markets, support will be expanded from the current maximum of 1 billion won over 2 years to a maximum of 2 billion won over 3 years. The Safety Management Package will add items such as heatwave cooling facilities, maintenance of drainage for flood damage, and preparations for heavy snow and typhoons, and the budget will increase from 13.2 billion won to 56.2 billion won (based on the government budget proposal). The scale of selection is approximately 30 Cultural Tourism-type Markets, approximately 400 Market Management Support sites, and approximately 300 Safety Management Package sites.
- Who is affected: Local governments and merchant associations overseeing traditional markets, shopping districts, and alleyway shopping districts.
- When: Applications are accepted from Tuesday, October 20 to Monday, November 16, via online submission at Sosoongin24 (sbiz24.kr).
- Administrative Agent’s Note: Since the applicants are local governments, merchant associations must first coordinate the application schedule with their respective city, gun, or gu offices. Development projects such as “Baeknyeon Markets” (Centennial Markets) are subject to separate announcements later and are not part of this application period. Detailed requirements must be verified through the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ official announcement.
- Source: Policy Briefing · Ministry of SMEs and Startups Press Release: Announcement of the 2027 Traditional Market and Shopping District Revitalization Support Project
3. Legislative Notice for the Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act and Rules on Administrative Dispositions regarding Non-face-to-face Medical Treatment
- What is changing: The Ministry of Health and Welfare has issued a legislative notice for the proposed amendments to the Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act and the Rules on Administrative Dispositions related to medical services (as of the report date). If a patient has received face-to-face treatment for the same symptoms at the same institution within 6 months, it is considered general non-face-to-face treatment; otherwise, for a first visit, non-face-to-face treatment is permitted if the patient’s address or actual residence is in the same city or province as the medical institution. There are no regional restrictions for patients with rare diseases, Type 1 diabetes, or registered persons with disabilities. For first-visit prescriptions, the standard is 7 days, but if a doctor deems repeated treatment necessary, it is a maximum of 30 days per session. In principle, prescriptions for narcotics, psychotropic drugs, and obesity treatment drugs are prohibited. Non-face-to-face medical treatment at medical institutions is limited to within 30% of total treatments, and to an average of 500 cases per month per doctor. Intermediary platforms must report their status, and those with 100,000 or more users must obtain certification. Violations may lead to corrective orders, business suspension, or cancellation of registration approval.
- Who is affected: Medical institutions, non-face-to-face medical treatment intermediary platforms, and patients using these services.
- When: Opinion collection from Monday, October 19 to Monday, November 9; Enforcement date ⚠️ Original text needs verification.
- Administrative Agent’s Note: As this is a legislative notice, it is not yet finalized, and specific figures may change. If you are subject to platform reporting or certification, please check the attached documents of the notice and review them before the opinion deadline.
- Source: Medipana News · Clarification of Non-face-to-face Medical Treatment Targets and Prescription Standards… Legislative Notice for the Proposed Amendment to the Enforcement Rule (Report citing Ministry of Health and Welfare announcement)
Deadlines to Watch This Week
- October 26 (Mon): Deadline for opinions on the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act (refer to the October 8 briefing)
- November 9 (Mon): Deadline for opinions on the Non-face-to-face Medical Service Rules
- November 12 (Thu): Implementation of the obligation to verify accommodation brokerage business registration certificates and associated fines
- November 16 (Mon): Deadline for applications for the Traditional Market and Shopping District Revitalization Support Project
This briefing is a guide organized by the Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent (Administrative Scrivener) Office based on public data. Whether these apply to individual cases requires verification with the competent authorities.