South Korean hotel apologizes after newlyweds find people can see in mirrored sauna

“We are deeply sorry that we have caused inconvenience to our customers by using certain facilities in the Grand Josun Jeju Hill Suite Women’s Sauna due to the missing mirror coating for some windows and [problems in] operate the blinds, ”read the statement released on February 18.

“Sauna operation has been suspended and we are closely checking for deficiencies and taking immediate action to correct them.”

The hotel explained that the special coating prevents people from seeing into the sauna during the day, but does not work the same at night, which is why the blinds are supposed to go down as soon as it gets dark.

“I went on my honeymoon to Jeju Island and stayed in a suite at a recently opened five star hotel, but my honeymoon turned out to be the worst memory of my life,” wrote the blogger, explaining that he and his wife enjoyed using the pool and sauna.

He adds: “On the last day I went for a walk but looking at the sauna windows I found 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 footpath, the parking lot and even the hotel room balconies.

“My wife and I were shocked to learn of this. The thought that we could have used the bathrooms and showers in front of many people gives me chills and we receive therapeutic treatment.

According to Korean news agency Yonhap News, local police in Seogwipo were called when guests started complaining to hotel staff. The hotel manager was not in town for the Lunar New Year holiday, the blogger said.

Police are now examining CCTV footage to determine if anyone was exposed while using the facilities or if someone was taking illegal photos or videos from outside.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, both steam and dry saunas were closed, but general tubs were opened with capacity limits. As the country’s borders remain closed to non-residents and quarantine laws are in place, many Koreans have opted for national holidays this year.