16,000 People Caught Violating COVID-19 Regulations... 10,000 at Entertainment Bars

Assemblyman Han Byung-do: "Strict Response Needed to Deviant Behavior During Transition to With-Corona"

Han Byung-do, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] From last year, when COVID-19 began to spread, until August of this year, the number of people caught violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act reached 16,000. Among them, more than 10,000 were caught at entertainment bars.

According to data received by Han Byung-do, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the National Police Agency, during the national audit, a total of 16,536 people were caught by police for violating COVID-19 related laws such as the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and the Food Sanitation Act from January last year to August this year.

By industry, 10,346 people were caught at entertainment bars, accounting for 62.6% of all enforcement cases. This was followed by 5,254 at karaoke rooms (31.8%), 841 at danran bars (5.1%), and 95 at colatec and emotional bars (0.6%).

By region, 6,517 were caught in Seoul, 4,427 in Gyeonggi, and 2,538 in Incheon, totaling 13,482 people, or 81.5% of all cases, in the metropolitan area. Outside the metropolitan area, the numbers were 628 in Busan, 379 in Gyeongnam, 287 in Daegu, and 243 in Jeonnam, in that order.

Representative Han said, "While the majority of the public is striving to overcome COVID-19, some deviant behaviors are dangerous actions that can undermine the entire quarantine system," adding, "As we approach an important time of transitioning to With-Corona, related agencies such as the police must respond strictly to violations of quarantine and other deviant acts."