“We are deeply sorry to cause any inconvenience to our customers by using some of the women’s sauna facilities in the Grand Josun Jeju Hill suite due to the lack of mirror coating for some windows and [problems in] operating the curtains, “said the statement, posted on February 18.
“Sauna operation has been suspended and we are checking the deficiencies closely and taking immediate steps to correct them.”
The hotel explained that the special coating makes it impossible for people to see the sauna during the day, but it doesn’t work the same way at night, so the blinds should come down as soon as it gets dark.
“I went on my honeymoon to Jeju Island and stayed in a suite in a newly opened five-star hotel, but my honeymoon ended up being the worst memory of my life,” wrote the blogger, explaining that he and his wife had enjoyed using the pool and sauna facilities.
He adds: “On my last day I went for a walk, but looking at the windows of the sauna I discovered that I could see the inside of the sauna from the outside. I could see the thermometer inside the sauna through the windows. We could see the inside of the showers and bathrooms from the outside, the hotel entrance, the pedestrian path, the parking lot and even the rooms’ balconies.
“My wife and I were shocked to find this out. The idea that we could have used toilets and showers in front of many people gives me chills and we are in therapy.”
According to Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the local Seogwipo police were called when guests started to complain to hotel staff. The hotel manager was out of town on the Lunar New Year holiday, the blogger said.
Police are now analyzing CCTV footage to determine if someone was exposed while using the facility or if someone was taking illicit photos or videos from outside.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the dry and steam saunas were closed, but the general baths were opened with a capacity limit. As the country’s borders remain closed to non-residents and quarantine laws are in place, many Koreans have opted for domestic holidays this year.
Top image: an overview shows bathers at Hamdeok beach, on the resort island of Jeju, in southern South Korea, on August 24, 2020. (Photo by Daniel De Carteret / AFP via Getty Images)