[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Despite the implementation of Level 4 social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area due to the spread of COVID-19, illegal operations of entertainment bars continue, sparking controversy.
Today (25th), the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced that on the 23rd, they conducted a large-scale crackdown focusing on entertainment districts in their jurisdiction, including Uijeongbu and Goyang cities in Gyeonggi Province. The operation involved 435 personnel from the Northern Gyeonggi Autonomous Police Committee, Gyeonggi Province, local governments of each city and county, and fire departments. A total of 42 individuals were caught at 6 establishments across 8 zones.
At one entertainment bar raided by the police around 11:30 PM, alcohol, side dishes, and mobile phones were found in each room, suggesting that customers and hostesses had just left their seats. When the police moved a large refrigerator in front of the bar’s storage room and opened the door, a hiding space was discovered where 24 people were sitting with their faces covered. They were booked on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.
Similar cases were uncovered in Goyang City. At one establishment that allowed customers in through phone reservations, police found men and women sitting in pairs of two or three in each room drinking alcohol during the raid. The surveillance cameras inside the establishment captured them sitting without masks. The police booked a total of 11 individuals for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and confirmed that the owner received payments for prostitution services, arresting the owner and others on the spot for violating the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Prostitution.
All these establishments were found to have secretly operated by turning off their signboard lights or locking the entrance doors to avoid detection. If caught attempting to operate in entertainment facilities under a gathering ban order, the business owner faces a fine of up to 3 million KRW.
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