Jeong Han-seok, Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Member, "Use of Names Like Drug Gimbap and Drug Tteokbokki Should Be Avoided in Restaurants Near Schools"... Representative Bill Proposed

Indiscriminate Use of Drug Brand Names
May Lower Awareness of Drug Dangers

Jeong Han-seok, a member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council (People Power Party·Chilgok 1), announced on the 26th that he has taken the lead in proposing the "Ordinance on Improving the Use of Drug Product Name Advertisements within the Educational Environment Protection Zone of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education."

The main points of the ordinance consist of establishing policies to improve drug product name advertisements within the educational environment protection zone, conducting surveys on the actual conditions of drug product names, and supporting projects to improve drug product names.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Member Jeong Han-seok

An official from the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council stated, “The ordinance includes content that promotes and recommends local education offices and others to ensure that restaurants or stores around schools designated as educational environment protection zones do not use business names or food names containing the word ‘drug,’ such as ‘Mayak Gimbap’ or ‘Mayak Tteokbokki.’ Currently, there are no related regulations in higher laws, so it is not possible to completely prohibit the use of drug-related business names.”

The reason drug names have been attached to food items is that they have been used as provocative marketing tools. Advertisements such as ‘Mayak Hotdog,’ ‘Mayak Tteokbokki,’ and ‘Mayak Gimbap’ were indiscriminately used in students’ daily lives without any sense of guilt to exaggerate the addictive taste.

According to the "2023 Drug Crime White Paper" published by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the number of drug offenders aged 19 or younger caught in crackdowns has increased about sixfold from 239 in 2019 to 1,477 in 2023 over the past five years, confirming that the threat of drug exposure to youth has reached a serious level.

Councilor Jeong of Gyeongbuk Provincial Council said, “The recent nationwide surge in youth drug crimes appears to be the result of the indiscriminate use of the ‘drug’ product name, which has lowered awareness of the dangers of drugs,” adding, “Through the enactment of this ordinance, we will strive to ensure that the use of drug product names is eradicated at least within the educational environment protection zones.”