"What Do You Think About Drinking in Public Places?" Seoul City Holds Online Debate on 'Democracy Seoul'

Collecting Diverse Public Opinions and Promoting Policy Deliberation on the Revised 'National Health Promotion Act?' Implementation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is gathering diverse opinions from citizens regarding the prohibition of alcohol consumption in public places.

On the 24th, Seoul announced that it will conduct an online citizen discussion for 60 days on the citizen participation platform ‘Minjujuui Seoul’ concerning the ‘Prohibition of Alcohol in Public Places.’

Any interested citizen can participate by leaving comments and sharing various opinions. Participation is possible by accessing the ‘Citizen Discussion’ section within ‘Minjujuui Seoul’ via PC or smartphone, and it is also easy to log in using social networking service (SNS) accounts.

This citizen discussion aims to sufficiently collect public opinions related to the revised National Health Promotion Act, which will be enforced starting from the 30th, and to establish future operational directions. According to the revised National Health Promotion Act, if deemed necessary for preventing alcohol-related harm and promoting residents’ health, a certain place within a jurisdiction where many people gather or pass through can be designated as an alcohol-free zone by ordinance.

Seoul plans to promote expert discussions and other related activities following this online citizen discussion. The city also intends to carry out publicity and campaigns to foster a healthy drinking culture.

Park Yumi, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Citizen Health Bureau, stated, “We are holding an online public forum to hear diverse voices from citizens regarding the enforcement of the revised National Health Promotion Act. Over the two months, we will carefully prepare policies through in-depth discussions with citizens and experts on the opinions proposed via ‘Minjujuui Seoul’ and other channels.”