Fine Imposed on Chicken Restaurant Whose Signboard Reading "Thank You for Impeaching Yoon Suk Yeol" Went Viral

Electronic signboard went viral after Yoon's impeachment ruling... 800,000 won compulsory performance penalty
Namdong-gu: "Confirmed after receiving civil complaint... violation identified"

The phrase displayed on an LED sign by a chicken restaurant in Namdong-gu, Incheon, in April last year. Screenshot from an online community.

A basic local government has decided to impose a compulsory performance penalty for illegal outdoor advertising on the owner of a chicken restaurant that drew attention last year by displaying a message of thanks related to the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on the store's electronic signboard.

According to Yonhap News on the 23rd, Namdong-gu in Incheon sent a prior notice to the owner of a franchise chicken restaurant in its jurisdiction stating that it will impose a compulsory performance penalty of 800,000 won for installing an illegal LED signboard. Accordingly, if the owner does not rectify the illegal signboard by March 6 next month, the compulsory performance penalty will be imposed as scheduled.

Previously, the district office had notified the owner to voluntarily rectify the issue, but when this was not carried out, it sent a prior notice of the compulsory performance penalty. Under the Incheon City ordinance on outdoor advertising, such signboards may only be displayed as a still image (4 square meters or less) on the wall at the first-floor entrance of buildings with a total floor area of at least 5,000 square meters, and the restaurant appears to have violated this requirement.

An official from Namdong-gu said, "After a related civil complaint was filed and we checked the site, we confirmed the violation and issued a corrective order along with a prior notice of the compulsory performance penalty," adding, "If the violation is not corrected even after that, we can continue to impose the compulsory performance penalty up to twice a year."

Meanwhile, the restaurant drew public attention on April 4 last year, immediately after the Constitutional Court handed down its ruling to impeach former President Yoon Suk Yeol, by displaying the message "The respondent Yoon Suk Yeol is impeached. Thank you, citizens" on its electronic signboard.