Controversy Intensifies Over 'New and Variant Room Cafes'
Prohibited for Youth Entry and Employment
Some of the entertainment facilities known as 'Room Cafes,' which rent out rooms equipped with various recreational amenities such as TVs, PCs, and karaoke machines to customers, are reportedly being used as adult entertainment venues, sparking heated controversy. Concerns are especially heightened because minors frequently use Room Cafes. The government has prohibited youth access and employment in such facilities.
On the 1st, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) announced that the so-called 'new and variant Room Cafes,' which operate similarly to motels despite using the name 'Room Cafe,' fall under the category of establishments where youth access and employment are prohibited.
Establishments where youth access and employment are prohibited are determined based on the actual business activities conducted, regardless of whether the establishment has permission, approval, registration, or notification. For example, even businesses registered as free businesses or general restaurants are considered youth-restricted facilities if they have △ enclosed spaces or partitions, △ bedding or audiovisual equipment installed, or △ potential for physical contact or sexual activity.
If the owner of a Room Cafe that falls under these prohibited establishments fails to display restrictions on youth access and employment at the venue, local governments can conduct inspections with the police and order corrections. If the owner does not comply, fines may be imposed, and if the owner or employees do not prevent youth access or employment, imprisonment and fines may be applied.
Room Cafes are spaces rented out that are equipped with various devices such as PCs and TVs, providing a place to rest briefly. However, controversy has grown recently as some facilities have started operating like motels by separating rooms from the outside. Some Room Cafes reportedly have bedding arranged, featuring interiors almost indistinguishable from actual motels.
In particular, these Room Cafes can be accessed by minors without significant restrictions, raising concerns about encouraging delinquency. At the end of last month, numerous posts exposing the realities of variant Room Cafes appeared on an online community.
Among the types of variant Room Cafes shared by netizens are △ Room Cafes equipped with door locks that completely isolate the room from the outside and △ Room Cafes with bathrooms and beds, effectively operating as lodging facilities. In this regard, a netizen who introduced themselves as a Room Cafe part-timer claimed, "95% of the customers who come are student couples," and added, "They may deny it, but at the place I worked, 99 out of 100 rooms involved sexual activity."
According to the 'Youth Harmful Environment Survey' published in 2020, the usage rate of youth entertainment establishments was overwhelmingly high for multi-rooms and Room Cafes at 14.4%, compared to video rooms at 2.0% and lodging facilities accompanied by the opposite sex at 1.6%.
Given this situation, local governments also plan to strengthen crackdowns on variant Room Cafes. On the 2nd, Seoul City announced that until the 13th, it will conduct inspections and crackdowns on Room Cafes and multi-rooms in areas around elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as districts densely populated with youth-harmful establishments, in cooperation with district offices, police, and youth harmful environment monitoring teams. The crackdown targets Room Cafes operating as variant lodging facilities by providing beds and similar amenities.
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