Convenience Store Owners: "Increase in Violent Crimes Due to Opaque Window Film Installation"

"Health and Welfare Ministry Regulations Lead to Murder Incident"

A convenience store in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, has an opaque sheet attached.
Photo by Im Chunhan

The National Convenience Store Franchise Association criticized the regulation requiring convenience stores to attach opaque sheets to prevent cigarette advertisements from being visible from outside, stating on the 15th that "not only workers but also store owners are expressing concerns about safety during nighttime operations."

In a statement released that day, the association said, "The entire nation was outraged by the tragic story of a young man who died in a convenience store robbery last week," and added, "This murder incident occurred in a sealed space created by the opaque sheets attached due to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's regulation." They continued, "Even if the opaque sheets attached to convenience stores had not obstructed visibility, the murder could have been prevented," and criticized, "It was a missed golden time."

Earlier, on the 8th, a store owner was killed in a robbery at a convenience store in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. The victim was found collapsed in front of the storage room inside the convenience store and was discovered by a customer late, but was already deceased.

The association claimed, "Convenience stores operating 24 hours a day, year-round, are seriously exposed to increasing violent crimes every year. Especially during the late-night hours when most stores operate with a single employee due to low foot traffic, they are always targets of crime," and argued, "The attachment of opaque sheets has increased violent crimes."

Current laws, including the National Health Promotion Act and the Tobacco Business Act, stipulate that cigarette advertisements inside tobacco retail stores must not be visible from outside. Although this law was enacted in 2011, enforcement was lax, rendering it ineffective. However, starting in July 2021, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a comprehensive smoking cessation plan to reduce smoking rates, strengthening regulations on cigarette advertisements and promotions, leading to the attachment of opaque sheets in convenience stores.

The association emphasized, "This is a matter of life and death for store owners," and stressed, "If the goal is to reduce youth smoking rates, policies that practically work should be developed and implemented instead of regulations that constrain store owners, such as attaching opaque sheets."