More and more consumers are complaining about having to pay penalties after canceling plans due to the new coronavirus outbreak, data from the Fair Trade Commission showed.

The majority of the complaints concerned travel plans and weddings.

Between Jan. 20, when the first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported here, and March 8, the commission’s “1372 consumer consultation center” handled 14,988 cases from consumers requiring consultations. This was 7.8 times the figure from the same period last year, the watchdog said. 

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)