Consultation on Meeting 'Distance Restrictions' Before Document Submission for Tobacco Retailer Designation
On-site Investigation First, Application Submission Later... Preventing Economic Losses from Administrative Rejection
Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will provide Seoul's first-ever 'Pre-consultation for Tobacco Retailer Designation' starting in March. The district is proactively taking this step to prevent potential economic losses for applicants when applying for tobacco retailer designation.
Currently, there are a total of 1,017 designated tobacco retail stores in the district. The 'tobacco retailer designation' is an administrative action that cannot be transferred, and approximately 100 new tobacco retailers are designated each year due to cancellations or business closures.
The designation of tobacco retailers is mostly determined during the fact-finding investigation. The key step involves the responsible official measuring whether the legal requirement of maintaining a distance of at least 100 meters between business locations is met. However, since this is conducted after the applicant submits the required documents such as the lease contract, the economic risk for applicants has been significant.
In particular, convenience stores, where tobacco sales typically account for 30% of total sales, often give up operating the store altogether if the application fails. There have been cases where applicants suffer losses on prepaid lease deposits after receiving a late notification of non-designation following the fact-finding investigation.
In response, the district recognizes the risks involved in the tobacco retailer designation process and will conduct 'Pre-consultation on Distance Measurement' to provide safe administrative services centered on the applicants.
The key improvement is the adjustment of the workflow order. When an applicant requests consultation, the district will verify and inform whether the distance requirement is met even before the applicant prepares the legally required documents. This effectively blocks unnecessary risk of loss before signing the lease or starting business operations with the district's 'definitive answer.'
This also improves administrative efficiency. In cases where rejection is likely due to distance restrictions, prior adjustments reduce the workload and enhance administrative trust. Since the distance measurement is automatically omitted after consultation when the application is submitted, the speed of the procedure is also expected to improve.
Songpa-gu's 'Pre-consultation on Distance Measurement' has been in effect since March. For more detailed information, please contact the Economic Promotion Division.
Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, "This measure is a good example of servant leadership that contributes to protecting residents' property rights by improving unreasonable administrative procedures. We will continue to take the lead in minimizing various regulations that cause inconvenience to residents and promoting advanced district administration that enhances welfare."
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