Last Month, Worker Protection Law Amendment Proposed
If Police Diagnose and Recommend Improvements, Headquarters Provides Support
Opaque Internal Sheets Expected to Be Removed This Month
The security environment of convenience stores exposed to violent crimes is expected to see significant improvements starting this month. Along with the government's recommendation to remove adhesive films, a legislative amendment considering the safety of chain store employees has been proposed, raising considerable expectations for improvement within the industry.
A sheet attached inside a convenience store in Seoul to prevent cigarette advertisements inside the store from being visible outside. The 'translucent sheet' intended to block the cigarette ads inside the convenience store from being seen through the window will be replaced with a 'no smoking advertisement' later this month. [Image source=Yonhap News]
According to the industry on the 1st, Lee Dong-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, officially proposed a partial amendment to the Distribution Industry Development Act on the 22nd of last month, focusing on the installation of protective facilities within chain stores. Fourteen opposition party colleagues, including Kim Min-chul and Seo Dong-yong, co-sponsored the amendment.
The amendment primarily requires the police to conduct crime prevention environment assessments and, if security vulnerabilities are found, to have the convenience store headquarters support improvements. Given the nature of convenience stores operating 24 hours a day, and the occurrence of various crimes against chain store employees especially during nighttime hours, the aim is to secure safety through management measures.
This content of the amendment was derived from an agreement reached at a related meeting held in March, which included the National Police Agency and the Korea Convenience Store Network, composed of convenience store owners. At that time, the police indicated plans to strengthen the activities of the Crime Prevention Diagnosis Team (CPO), which operates to prevent convenience store crimes. They expressed intentions to not only enhance patrols but also expand the existing diagnosis of protective facilities for employees inside convenience stores.
During the meeting, the removal of semi-transparent adhesive films placed on convenience store windows to prevent cigarette advertisements from being visible from outside was also discussed. The removal of these films was settled as a substitute for smoking cessation advertisements at the Regulatory Review Division meeting of the Office for Government Policy Coordination on the 17th of last month. Following recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and others, convenience stores nationwide are scheduled to remove the opaque adhesive films applied so far and replace them with no-smoking advertisements by this month.
The industry has expressed a welcoming stance toward the successive improvement measures. In particular, regarding the removal of adhesive films, there is strong anticipation that the crime exposure, which had increased due to obstructed visibility inside and outside, will decrease again, as the original purpose of preventing youth smoking was ambiguous. Public opinion demanding the removal of adhesive films, which intensified after a convenience store owner in Incheon was killed by a robber and discovered 50 minutes later in February, has also calmed down due to this measure.
However, voices still exist calling for more practical improvement measures. Gye Sang-hyuk, co-representative of the National Convenience Store Franchisee Association, said, "Among the approximately 60,000 convenience stores nationwide, a significant number of owners use private security companies. There should also be laws supporting convenience store headquarters to assist stores operating 24 hours in subscribing to emergency dispatch systems of private security companies or to back insurance coverage for all employees on duty."
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