[Report] First Day of Quarantine Pass Enforcement at Large Marts and Department Stores... "Can't Buy Rice and Side Dishes"

First Day of Quarantine Pass, Confusion Among Staff and Customers
Entry Allowed with Confirmation Sticker
Staff Check at Every Aisle
Only Notices at Parking Lot Entrance
"Questioning the Purpose If This Is the Case"
Fines and Administrative Actions from the 17th

On the 10th, a notice informing the mandatory application of the quarantine pass was installed at the entrance of the Lotte Department Store main branch in Jung-gu, Seoul. From this day, large-scale stores such as shopping malls, marts, department stores, agricultural and marine products distribution centers, and bookstores with an area of 3,000㎡ or more are added to the mandatory application targets of the quarantine pass (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system). Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Donghoon Jeong, Seungyoon Song, Chunhan Lim] "Is it reasonable that those who haven't been vaccinated can't even buy rice or side dishes? The government should also consider these difficulties."

On the morning of the 10th, Shin Mija (65), who visited a large supermarket in Mapo-gu, Seoul, took more than 10 minutes to verify her vaccination information on her smartphone to enter the store despite being vaccinated. Not familiar with using smartphones, she was only able to enter the store after receiving help from an employee. The supermarket used large banners and signboards to inform customers that entry was not allowed without vaccination proof or a negative COVID-19 test result (vaccine pass). Employees at the entrance repeatedly instructed customers, saying, "Please prepare your vaccination certificate," and "From today, entry without a vaccine pass is not allowed."

Park (61), whom we met in front of the supermarket, had completed the booster shot but said the application of the vaccine pass to supermarkets was excessive. Park said, "Isn't a supermarket an essential facility where you have to buy daily necessities, just like subways and buses?" and added, "I question whether it is necessary to strengthen quarantine standards for such facilities where the risk of infection is even lower than public transportation."

On the first day of implementing the vaccine pass in large supermarkets and department stores, some confusion occurred. Despite the guidance period, both consumers and store employees experienced inconvenience, confusion, and misunderstandings. At the same time, a department store in Banghwa-dong, Gangseo-gu, had a similar situation. This place, where a shopping mall, department store, and supermarket are connected, had many more entrances than a single building. Those who had their vaccine pass verified inside the department store could receive a certification sticker to attach to their masks, but since verification was conducted at multiple entrances, complaints like "I already got checked earlier, why again?" were heard in many places.

On the 10th, citizens at a large supermarket in Seoul checked the validity of their quarantine passes to enter, following the addition of large-scale stores such as shopping malls, marts, department stores, agricultural and marine products distribution centers, and bookstores with an area of 3,000㎡ or more to the mandatory quarantine pass application targets. The one-week guidance period will operate until the 16th, and from the 17th, individuals will be fined 100,000 KRW per violation. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Despite thorough checks, it seemed practically difficult to completely block unvaccinated individuals from entering. At the parking lot entrance, a notice stating "Customers without a vaccine pass are restricted from use according to government quarantine guidelines" was posted, but in reality, when no staff was present, it was easy to enter the interior through the parking lot without verification. Kim Seonghee (49, pseudonym), who visited the department store that day, said, "You have to pass through the shopping mall to go outside after leaving the airport, so it's inconvenient to be checked at the entrance," and added, "Not all entrances are blocked, so it can't be perfectly controlled. If that's the case, I wonder why they are doing this."

Concerns about weekend congestion were raised regarding large downtown department stores. At Lotte Department Store’s luxury pavilion in Jung-gu, customers lined up early in the morning. At the luxury brand Chanel, employees came out to take waiting reservations using tablet PCs. Even if customers were on the waiting list, they could only enter after vaccine pass verification at the luxury pavilion entrance. Customer Park said, "There is not much inconvenience on a weekday morning, but it seems it would be chaotic on days when many people gather at once, like weekends."

From this day, large-scale stores such as shopping malls, supermarkets, department stores, agricultural and marine product distribution centers, and bookstores with an area of 3,000㎡ or more are newly subject to mandatory vaccine pass application. A one-week guidance period will be in place until the 16th, but from the 17th, users who use these facilities without a vaccine pass will be fined 100,000 KRW per violation. Facility operators will be fined 1.5 million KRW for the first violation and 3 million KRW for subsequent violations, and separate administrative measures may be imposed. Those exempt from the vaccine pass due to medical reasons such as COVID-19 recovery or severe vaccine adverse reactions must carry a quarantine release certificate or exemption confirmation.