The Korea Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) issued a consumer damage advisory on the 5th for travel, airline, and accommodation products in the Middle East.
Under the Consumer Dispute Resolution Standards, refunds of package tour deposits and waivers of penalties are allowed only when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel alert is Level 3 ("recommendation to leave the country") or higher. If the travel alert is below Level 3 or if the consumer cancels the contract first due to simple anxiety, the consumer may have to pay a penalty.
As of the 4th, Israel's northern Lebanon border area and the Gaza Strip were designated Level 4, travel banned. Iran and Saudi Arabia (near the Yemen border) were designated Level 3 (recommendation to leave the country). The remaining areas of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait are under a special travel advisory.
For airline tickets or accommodation products that consumers book individually, unlike package tours, the business's own terms and conditions take precedence if the contract is canceled. Because of this, cancelations are highly likely to incur fees, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the Korea Consumer Agency said.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the Korea Consumer Agency said they "plan to work with the travel industry and consider the special circumstances to reduce penalties when consumers cancel package tour contracts for the Middle East."