"The pub that said 'We were suspended due to competing stores' announces a shocking discount"

Caught by police for selling alcohol to minors
"Remember the mistakes you made after becoming adults"

A story about a bar in Busan that was suspended from business after selling alcohol to a minor who lied about being an adult is gaining attention.

A banner hung in front of a bar that was suspended by an administrative agency for selling alcohol to minors.
[Photo by Online Community Archive]

On the 11th, a story about a bar caught in a police crackdown for selling alcohol to a minor was posted on an online community. In the photo, a large banner covering the entrance of the store is displayed. The banner reads, "We put a minor into our store (omitted)... Make a lot of money for 30 days!"

Additionally, a message written in a yellow square, seemingly to emphasize the point, says, "To the minor who came last November, took money, and was not punished, I hope you live properly. Because of you, four people who support their families have lost their livelihoods." It continues, "You may be immature now and not think much, but when you grow older and become an adult, I hope you remember the mistakes you made." It also states, "Thanks to you, my wife and I are going on the vacation she insisted on. We'll have a good time."

The store also announced that starting from February 1st, when it reopens, it will sell alcoholic beverages such as soju, beer, and Makgeolli for 2,900 won each. The photo spread across various online communities and social networking services (SNS), sparking outrage among many netizens. Those who saw the story reacted with comments like, "It clearly looks like a competing store put in a minor," "The alcohol prices are really reasonable. Where is this store located?" "You can feel the anger from the banner," and "The minor lied, but why is the punished party the deceived small business owner?"

Meanwhile, according to the existing Food Sanitation Act, when a store provides alcohol to youths, administrative penalties include ▲60-day business suspension for the first offense ▲180-day business suspension for the second offense ▲revocation of business license for the third offense.

However, recently, due to illegal acts such as minors lying about their age to drink at restaurants or purchase alcohol and then self-reporting, small business owners have been suffering from business suspensions and fines. To address this, a bill has been prepared to protect them. On the 29th of last year, the Ministry of Government Legislation submitted six amended laws, including the "Youth Protection Act," to the National Assembly to ease the burden on business operators regarding age verification. The bill is known to codify the obligation of persons requested to verify age to cooperate accordingly.