[Clarification Statement] The Truth and Response Regarding Recent Safety Concerns from Guests about Our Guesthouse

These past few days have undoubtedly been an incredibly long and difficult time for my wife and me. Because of the rampant and misleading online discussions about the safety of our guesthouse, my wife has been under immense mental stress and has now fallen ill. Although we know that in the online world, explanations often lead to a lose-lose situation, this doesn't mean we must choose silence and silently endure the distortions and slanders that are not true.

First, here's an update on the latest situation.

October 3rd: The original poster sent us a message emphasizing five points, namely:

1. "It reminds us of potential safety hazards"

2. "It was unintentional to affect our business and reputation."

3. "Clarifying the true situation where the door cannot be closed"

4. "I have also been a victim of cyberbullying and harm."

5. "The original text has been deleted in the hope of calming the situation."

We initially thought we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but unfortunately...

1. This 1 minute and 12 second "reminder" video also contains over a minute of "mocking" content; it's clear you're making fun of it.

2. While they say it was "unintentional," the fact remains that it has significantly impacted our business.

3. As for whether this is the "true situation," please read on.

4. As for being "cyberbullied," in this day and age, one should have considered the consequences before posting.

Afterwards, we replied, explaining that everyone had already been hurt and we didn't want anyone to suffer further harm. Therefore, we stopped replying to emotional comments and continued to post new messages hoping to bring attention back to the beauty of Jeju. We even invited them to explain the "misunderstanding" for free, but she refused and didn't agree, which we understand. It's probably better to leave it at that.

Unfortunately, her boyfriend subsequently posted another message and made inflammatory remarks in multiple places. Since you yourself expressed a desire to calm things down, why did you do that? Her answer was "she couldn't interfere with her boyfriend's decision." We didn't reply, only hoping that the rumors would stop with the wise. A day later, she reposted the original message.

Before watching the detailed video, let's briefly introduce the structure of a traditional Korean house (Hanok).

• This guesthouse has a living room, a kitchen, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garden of approximately 2,000 square feet, surrounded by a stone wall and fence.

• All doors and windows are equipped with electronic locks or metal latches. Some metal latches also include a small key for enhanced security, ensuring they remain in the locked or latched state.

• Therefore, doors and windows should not be opened without violence or forced force.

• The following is a floor plan.

韓屋平面圖

The original poster raised three main questions.

First, the door to the Master Suite (family room) was unlocked and could be opened.

• The video clearly points out the location of the "metal lock." As shown in the video, once it is opened, it is not easy to lock again, but once locked, it is impossible to open without force.

• As for why the door in the video was open, we have confirmed with the cleaning staff several times that she did close all the doors and windows properly before handing the room over to the guests.

• The questioning expression in the original poster's video at 0:40 indicates that the guest did not understand the function of the fork (or spoon). Therefore, we speculate that the guest may have simply taken the fork from the room without knowing its purpose. Opening the window to look at the garden after arriving at the guesthouse is something that guests often do.

• Even assuming, hypothetically, that there were doors or windows left open and no one knew how to close them, simply notifying us would be the best way to resolve the issue immediately, but we haven't received any such inquiries. We have received requests from guests who didn't know how to use other appliances, and from those who miscalculated the number of guests and needed extra blankets; we addressed all of these requests and didn't charge any additional fees as required by Airbnb's policy.

  
  

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/62a767_e3cdc23a9dcb4848b99e3d4dd52d1070/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

影片1.1: 家庭房木門的鎖並不容易上鎖，有紗門和窗廉，所以我們之前沒有每次提醒客人不要打開，今後會每次再提醒。

Secondly, the windows in the Master Suite (family room) and the hallway were not locked and could be opened.

• The response video indicated that there were six sets of "windows" with only metal latches and no additional metal locks. Three sets were in the hallway and three in the family rooms. All windows had metal latches that could not be broken unless forcibly pushed or pulled, and could be locked even without a metal key.

• Since the metal buckle was getting old, a traditional Korean ingenuity was adopted to add a metal spoon for added security.

• Similarly, the speculation regarding why the door in the video was opened is the same as above.

• Because these doors and windows are all very simple in structure, we didn't provide any prior instructions, but the move-in manual mentions that everyone should take good care of the doors, windows, and furniture.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/62a767_00defcf4ebd64d3db826280a1b76f3f3/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

影片2.1:家庭房外有3組窗，在內裡有扣的情況下，不能從外面打開。最後的窗是因為扣被打開了，扣上了，便等於頭兩隻窗的狀態，從外不能打開。

• https://video.wixstatic.com/video/62a767_ae23231bcce2448190de4d5d1b42ce27/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

  影片2.2: 家庭房共有3組窗，中間即所展示的有鐵環、金湯匙、以及下面的隱藏鎖 三重保護。而左右兩則，下面的鎖已爛掉，仍有鐵環、金湯匙，但即使沒有金湯匙，本來的金屬扣也在發揮作用，只是窗被打開了。

Third, the door to the small tea room can be opened, but cannot be closed.

• This is a pressure-sealed door. Once locked, it can only be opened from the inside, not from the outside. The original poster's video shows the entire door being inside, so it can be opened. In the response video, a clear "pak" sound can be heard, indicating that it is locked. We tried to close it and open it from the outside, but after trying for a long time, we still couldn't open it. The picture below also points out that there are uneven stones outside the glass door. Standing on those stones, it is even more difficult to open it from the outside without a handle.

• However, if thieves carefully bring tools to carry out the vandalism, then safety cannot be completely guaranteed, just like with other guesthouses and even hotels. This is the concern of travelers, especially those in Jeju recently.

• Another possibility is that it wasn't completely closed after being opened, so it could be easily pushed open.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/62a767_c9815ab5d46c4152913d25a588f38b32/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

影片3.1：這段片反映在室內的確能輕鬆打開，也是手把的作用，到室外後，想嘗試打開已開不到，時間稍短，所以補拍了影片3.2

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/62a767_e68a739b4b7045b38d0822c633a8c4fe/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

影片3.2：假設賊人在室外，首先要冒著被發現的危險前正門找到後門，再假設這隻有在凹凸不平石山的玻璃門能打開，但一個普通男子的力度還是打不開

Regarding the points mentioned above, there are indeed areas where we can improve. If it's just a reminder, we would be very grateful. Hanok houses are originally private residences, and private residences cannot provide absolute defense, but we will do our best to do so.

These past few days, I've been discussing this with my Korean friends. They initially mentioned that this is an architectural structure passed down for hundreds of years, and even shared Jeju's traditional "three no's" culture – no thieves, no gates, and no beggars. Of course, with the rapid development of tourism, population influx, and urbanization on Jeju Island, it's now indistinguishable from a modern city. The traditional "three no's" have become historical symbols, and they agree that a trade-off must be made between preserving the original architecture of the Hanok and ensuring modern safety. That's why modern Hanoks have stricter regulations than regular guesthouses, including protection, fire prevention, and even conservation, as well as regular spot checks, in order to obtain a "Hanok Tourism Experience Certificate."

The following are areas we will strengthen.

• We will repeatedly instruct the cleaning staff to double-check that doors and windows are locked from now on.

• The check-in guide for guests indicates which doors and windows should not be opened, and guests are reminded of the safety of various locations within the traditional Korean house as soon as possible.

• We will try our best to post more notices without affecting the original Hanok architecture.

• We bought an additional metal lock, but we'll discuss with the original homeowner whether to install it.

Conclusion:

We have always hoped that things could end peacefully, and we are willing to acknowledge and improve our shortcomings. When silence is taken as acquiescence, and concessions only lead to more misunderstandings, we can only explain the course of events and the evidence truthfully, allowing everyone to make their own judgment. This is not about winning or losing, nor is it about hurting anyone; we simply hope that the truth will no longer be distorted, and that this matter can end here.

Postscript: I haven't slept for 28 hours straight. I don't know how much longer I can hold on. I really hope this can end as soon as possible.