An Authorized Home-Sharing Company

Notice of Official Promotion to Temporary Permit for Home-Sharing

Home-sharing authorized hosts can now conduct business more stably and advantageously.

May 7, 2026: Official Transition 2019: First Regulatory Sandbox in Korea The first company in Korea with a (temporary) home-sharing permit

Official Government Announcement

Wehome has officially transitioned to a company with a temporary permit for home-sharing

Following the results of the government's 44th ICT Regulatory Sandbox Deliberation Committee, Wehome officially transitioned from a regulatory sandbox company to a company with a temporary permit for home-sharing as of May 7, 2026. Wehome has been promoted from being the first regulatory sandbox company in Korea in 2019 to the first company with a (temporary) home-sharing permit in the country. Existing Wehome regulatory sandbox hosts will automatically transition to (temporary) home-sharing permit hosts, allowing them to continue their business stably until institutionalization, backed by government trust.

The committee's decision regarding Wehome's temporary permit is as follows: "Meanwhile, the Deliberation Committee has transitioned the 'Domestic/International Home-Sharing Service (Wehome, designated as a regulatory sandbox in 2019),' which allows domestic guests to use urban bed-and-breakfast services previously limited to foreigners, to a temporary permit, and reported on the agenda regarding 'changes to additional conditions and the promotion of liability insurance enrollment for sandbox companies.' Previously, under the sandbox, accommodation providers not registered as urban bed-and-breakfast businesses (hereinafter 'sandbox hosts') could provide home-sharing to both domestic and international guests if they met certain conditions. However, to strengthen the management and supervision of sandbox hosts, the additional conditions were changed through consultation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the competent ministry, requiring all sandbox hosts to register as urban bed-and-breakfast businesses by 2027. Furthermore, to prevent compensation gaps in the event of user damage caused by disasters, liability insurance equivalent to mandatory disaster safety insurance was designed in consultation with insurance companies, and the enrollment of sandbox companies has been completed. This is expected to strengthen the reliability and safety of the sandbox service and improve user protection."

Key Points

Core Information

• ✓ Transition of 'Domestic/International Home-Sharing Service (Wehome, designated as a regulatory sandbox in 2019)' to a temporary permit: Converted on May 7, 2026, and valid until institutionalization.

• ✓ Maintenance of Urban Bed-and-Breakfast (B&B) Sandbox, but Abolition of Non-Urban B&B Sandbox: Additional conditions have been changed to require non-urban B&B (unregistered as urban B&B) hosts to transition to urban B&B businesses by 2027. The non-urban B&B category operated until July 31, 2026. From August 1, 2026, Wehome does not accept new non-urban B&B registrations. Furthermore, registrations for the regulatory sandbox completed by July 31, 2026, will be recognized as valid until December 31, 2027.

• ✓ Wehome has completed enrollment in mandatory disaster safety insurance for sandbox hosts, which is expected to strengthen the reliability and safety of the sandbox service and improve user protection.

Significance of the Temporary Permit

What changes for Wehome and its hosts

• 1 The government has officially recognized the achievements and stability of Wehome's business, which has been conducted for 6 years (4 years of regulatory sandbox and 2 years of temporary permit processing).

• 2 Wehome hosts can operate their businesses stably without time restrictions until the point of institutionalization.

• 3 Through government certification, Wehome hosts secure credibility and business competitiveness.

• 4 Priority application of regulatory relief benefits in the future institutionalization process.

Understanding the System

Differences between Regulatory Sandbox and Temporary Permit

Regulatory Sandbox

A Regulatory Sandbox is a system that temporarily allows new services or technologies that are difficult to implement under existing laws and regulations to be tested in the market. This allows businesses to verify safety and effectiveness while operating in real-world conditions, and allows the government to evaluate the need for regulatory improvement.

Temporary Permit

A Temporary Permit is a system granted when a service whose safety and effectiveness have been proven through a regulatory sandbox needs to be officially launched in the market quickly. This is a step further than the regulatory sandbox, allowing for continuous business operation without time restrictions, provided that certain legal requirements are met.

Wehome has operated its home-sharing service through the regulatory sandbox for 6 years, conducting business stably without receiving a single warning or corrective order. A regulatory sandbox usually has a 2-year limit, and the permit can be revoked if problems arise during the business process. However, Wehome completed the verification without any issues, and based on this, it has transitioned to a temporary permit for more stable business operations. The transition to a temporary permit took about two years. There was deep consultation regarding the verification of past business performance and future business direction. As difficult as it was, it was a process of building understanding and trust in the government's policy for the institutionalization of home-sharing.

To Our Hosts

Thank you to our hosts

Wehome has completed the verification of its regulatory sandbox business by the government and has been recognized for its achievements, transitioning to a temporary permit and solidifying its position as Korea's leading home-sharing platform. We thank you, as this was made possible with the help of our hosts.

Based on the temporary permit, we will strive to ensure that the benefits for our hosts are expanded during the government's future home-sharing institutionalization process. We will also work to ensure that the opinions of sandbox hosts are reflected in the institutionalization. Through this, we will focus on securing the stability of the home-sharing business and creating an environment where domestic and international guests can use it more safely and conveniently.

Progress Flow

2019 Designated as Korea's first home-sharing regulatory sandbox company

May 7, 2026 ~ Institutionalization Transition to temporary permit for domestic/international home-sharing service

July 31, 2026 New registration for the non-urban B&B category ended

Until December 31, 2027 Recognition of validity for existing non-urban B&B sandbox registrations

View Government Announcement