Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 5 'Room Cafes' Allowing Youth Entry

The Gyeonggi-do Fair Special Judicial Police Unit has raided five room cafes.

Gyeonggi Province has caught room cafe owners who allowed middle and high school male and female teenagers to enter without verifying their age, or permitted high school girls and adult men to enter together in private room cafes.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit announced on the 11th that it had identified nine individuals from five room cafe businesses that illegally allowed teenagers to enter and failed to display signs indicating 'No Entry or Employment for Under 19' and sent all of them to the prosecution.

The Special Judicial Police Unit conducted focused investigations on 22 room cafes in the province from February to March this year after preliminary monitoring was carried out earlier this year when teenage delinquency in room cafes became a social issue.

The five room cafes found to be in violation were registered as general restaurants or rest restaurants, providing beverages and snacks, and operated in private rooms equipped with mats, blankets, and cushions where customers could use the space unlimitedly from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Additionally, these cafes were located near subway stations where entertainment establishments are concentrated, making it easy for teenagers living in other areas to access them. During on-site investigations of the five room cafes, the province identified 16 teenagers who had entered.

In a major case, Business A operated a private room after registering as a rest restaurant under the signboard 'Cafe,' allowing eight teenagers to enter and failing to display the 'No Entry or Employment for Under 19' sign. The eight teenagers caught at the time were middle and high school male and female students, all entering as mixed-gender teenage couples of the same age group.

Businesses B and C also operated as cafes after registering as general restaurants and ran private rooms. In both establishments, one high school female student entered with an adult male, and neither displayed the 'No Entry or Employment for Under 19' sign.

According to the current 'Youth Entry and Employment Prohibition Business Designation Notice,' room cafes that are partitioned by enclosed spaces or dividers and furnished with bedding, where there is a risk of physical contact or sexual activity, are designated as businesses prohibiting youth entry and employment. Furthermore, under the Youth Protection Act, if a business allows youth to enter or fails to display restrictions on youth entry and employment in youth-harmful establishments, it may face imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won.

Kim Gwang-deok, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit, emphasized, "The room cafes caught this time were illegally operated by providing private rooms after registering as restaurants, effectively offering the space primarily for illicit purposes. We will continue investigations into youth-harmful establishments to prevent and protect against youth delinquency and eradicate illegal activities occurring in room cafes and similar venues."