Samcheok City, in anticipation of the 2025 summer peak season, is putting all efforts into eradicating price gouging and fostering a mutually beneficial consumption environment.
Samcheok City will extensively promote a "Price Stabilization Promotion Campaign" at major tourist destinations within the city during the 2025 summer vacation season. This campaign aims to dispel the annual controversy surrounding inflated prices at vacation spots and, at the same time, revitalize the local economy and build a win-win consumption environment that satisfies both citizens and tourists. Specifically, Samcheok City aims to establish a positive image of "Samcheok, a place you want to revisit" and "Samcheok with fair prices" through this campaign, striving to leap forward as a sustainable tourism city.
Campaign Overview and Key Activities
This price stabilization promotion campaign will be intensively carried out from July 9th to August 17th, 2025, aligning with the beach operation period. Notably, two major on-site campaigns are scheduled to coincide with the peak tourist season. The first campaign is set for July 25th at Samcheok Beach, and the second on August 1st at Maengbang Beach.
The campaign will see active participation from Samcheok City Hall officials, as well as citizens, social organizations, and relevant institutions, demonstrating a model of public-private cooperation. Key promotional activities include: ▲ street campaigns to eliminate price gouging, encouraging reasonable consumption among tourists; ▲ on-site guidance for businesses to promote voluntary price adherence and friendly service; ▲ strengthening promotion for establishing fair commercial practices; and ▲ distributing promotional materials to encourage the use of "Good Price Businesses." "Good Price Businesses" is a system designated by the Ministry of Interior and Safety to promote businesses that contribute to price stability. Samcheok City plans to actively utilize this system to establish a transparent and reasonable consumption culture. Currently, about 30 "Good Price Businesses" are designated and operating in Samcheok City, and the city plans to expand support and strengthen promotion for these businesses to further encourage their use by citizens and tourists.
Eradicating Price Gouging: An Essential Task for Mutual Growth
The summer vacation season accounts for a large portion of Samcheok City's tourism revenue, but at the same time, it carries the risk of damaging the regional image due to price gouging and unfair trade practices. Such problems can lead to a long-term decline in tourists and stagnation of local commercial districts, making it crucial to prevent them in advance and establish sound commercial practices. Samcheok City aims to go beyond mere guidance by emphasizing the importance of voluntary price adherence and friendly service to merchants, and by encouraging consumers to participate in a healthy consumption culture, thereby laying the groundwork for mutual prosperity.
To this end, the city will thoroughly manage the mandatory display of prices and, in case of reported unfair charges, promptly verify the facts and impose strict administrative penalties. Furthermore, commercial ethics education will be provided to merchants to encourage awareness improvement and emphasize the importance of "self-purification efforts." Especially, the city plans to expand information provision through its website or tourism information apps, allowing tourists to check restaurant price information in advance.
"Enjoyable Vacation" Created Through Public-Private Cooperation
To successfully implement this campaign, Samcheok City has established various public-private cooperation systems. Major local social organizations, including the Neighborhood Heads Association, Saemaul Movement, Baruge Salgi Movement Council, and the Korea Liberal Federation, are encouraging participation in the campaign. They are also actively joining the on-site campaign activities, fostering voluntary participation from local residents. Additionally, Samcheok City plans to actively promote campaign content using online platforms like SNS to convey information to more citizens and tourists and encourage their participation. This public-private cooperation is expected to enhance the effectiveness of the price stabilization campaign and significantly contribute to providing a positive experience for all visitors to Samcheok City.
A Samcheok City official stated, "The summer season is a very important time to make a strong impression of the region on the many tourists who visit Samcheok." They added, "Through this price stabilization campaign, we will rectify commercial practices and do our best to ensure all visitors leave satisfied." Samcheok City plans not to end this campaign as a one-off event but to solidify its reputation as a clean, friendly, and reasonably priced tourist city through continuous management and effort. This will be a crucial driving force for strengthening Samcheok City's tourism competitiveness and revitalizing the local economy in the long run.
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