"Zero Entertainment Venue Flyers"... Gangnam-gu's Planned Joint Crackdown Worked

Increasing Crackdown on Flyers Averaging 258kg Daily
Simultaneous Raids on Violations at Entertainment Bars Distributing Flyers
Seoul Metropolitan Police Join Forces to Sweep Businesses, Printers, and Distributors

Gangnam-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) announced on the 4th that, as a result of conducting joint crackdowns to completely dismantle organizations distributing illegal sexually explicit flyers, they have achieved an astonishing result of recording 'zero' illegal flyer distribution from May 18th to the present.

With the lifting of COVID-19 business restrictions and the revitalization of entertainment establishments, the amount of illegal sexually explicit flyer distribution increased significantly. From February 2023 to March this year, the flyers collected through crackdowns averaged 258kg per day.

Last year, the district doubled the number of personnel for illegal flyer crackdowns, strengthened daily day and night inspections, and increased joint crackdowns with the police from once a week to more than twice a week. Gangnam-gu Special Judicial Police conducted pre-patrols, analyzed complaint data, and reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to track the distributors' movements and carried out long-term undercover investigations. As a result, a total of 137 cases were cracked down on, and fines exceeding 540 million KRW were imposed.

Despite these enforcement results, illegal flyer distribution did not cease, so the district initiated a planned joint crackdown starting this year. The Gangnam-gu Urban Planning Division oversaw the joint task force, collaborating with the Gangnam-gu Sanitation Division, Seocho District Office Urban Planning and Sanitation Divisions, and the Crime Prevention and Order Divisions of Gangnam and Seocho Police Stations to conduct four crackdowns on large entertainment establishments in the Gangnam area.

They conducted a groundbreaking investigation by contacting entertainment bars found through the phone numbers listed on the flyers and simultaneously uncovering related violations.

On May 17th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department's Vice Investigation Team also joined the planned joint crackdown. After arresting flyer distributors on-site and seizing their mobile phones to secure evidence from printing shops, they conducted systematic investigations to completely dismantle entertainment bars, printers, and distributors. In this process, Gangnam-gu Special Judicial Police played a crucial role by providing accumulated investigation data to the police, leading to the arrest of 41 individuals, including 5 main perpetrators and 36 accomplices.

District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong stated, "Residents who had suffered from illegal sexually explicit flyers say they feel relieved seeing the cleaner streets," and added, "The newly implemented planned crackdown overcame the limitations of previous enforcement methods and proved effective." Mayor Jo also said, "We will continue to conduct systematic crackdowns with related agencies to maintain the current zero distribution status of flyers."