"10,000 Won Per Minor" Youths Found in Rooms with Covered Windows... Seoul Detects 7 Illegal Room Cafes

Seoul Conducts Special Crackdown on 54 Youth-Harmful Establishments
Facilities Operated by Charging 10,000 Won Entrance Fee per Minor

Seven youth harmful establishments that allowed minors to enter while blocking outside visibility-such as by attaching opaque materials to entrance door windows or creating enclosed spaces-have been caught.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Special Judicial Police announced on December 22 that they conducted a special crackdown on 54 youth harmful establishments from right after the college entrance exam until November 28, and detected seven establishments in violation of the Youth Protection Act.

A youth harmful establishment operating with the entrance glass covered. Seoul City

Establishment A operated as an enclosed space, displaying a sign on the entrance stairway glass stating "Youth Entry Allowed." At the time of the crackdown, the business was allowing nine minors to enter five rooms.

Establishment B was found to have violated the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's regulation that "the entrance door of a room cafe must be transparent above 1.3 meters from the floor." The business attached opaque materials to the entrance door glass or installed opaque curtains (blinds) on wall windows to block outside visibility, charging an entrance fee of 10,000 won per minor.

Establishment C was found to be operating in a variant form by installing a small glass window (20×10 cm) that made it difficult to see inside from outside when the interior lights were off.

If a youth harmful establishment operates as an enclosed space and fails to display a notice prohibiting the entry or employment of minors, it is subject to imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won under Article 29 of the Youth Protection Act.

The Special Judicial Police urged the public to immediately report any discovery of variant room cafes or similar establishments through the "Seoul Smart Report" app or the "Seoul Metropolitan Government Civil Complaint Crime Reporting Center" to protect minors.

Kim Hyunjung, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Special Judicial Police, stated that a preemptive crackdown was conducted in anticipation of increased youth usage after the college entrance exam. He added, "We will strengthen regular monitoring and planned crackdowns on related establishments, and expand cooperation with relevant agencies to build a robust system for protecting minors."