'Crowded Despite Corona'... Police Crack Down on Entertainment Bars and Live Cafes in Seocho and Jamsil Areas

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A nightclub and a live cafe that violated the administrative order banning gatherings at entertainment facilities and received customers late at night were caught on site.

According to the police on the 9th, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul cracked down on a total of 42 people, including the owner and customers, for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act at a nightclub in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, around 1:40 a.m. the previous day.

At around 1 a.m., the police received a 112 report and dispatched officers to the pub, confirming signs of business in operation, such as music leaking out.

The police blocked the front and back doors, then, with the cooperation of the fire department, opened the locked doors and raided the site together with district office staff, capturing customers who were hiding in the restrooms and other places.

The customers were drinking in 19 rooms of this pub. It was reported that some fled through emergency exits when the crackdown began.

At 11:41 p.m. on the 8th, 26 people, including a 40-year-old owner and customers, were caught violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act at a live cafe in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu.

The police plan to notify the relevant district office of these individuals for violating quarantine rules such as business restrictions, so that they can receive administrative penalties such as fines.

Currently, in the metropolitan area, Level 2 of "Social Distancing" is in effect to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and since the 12th of last month, the operation of six types of entertainment facilities including nightclubs, danran pubs, emotional pubs, colatecs, hunting pochas, and holdem pubs has been banned. This measure will continue until the 23rd of this month.