Improving the 'Korean-style Dining Culture' of Eating Together in the COVID-19 Era!

Seongdong-gu Launches Campaign to Improve Unhygienic Food Culture for Infectious Disease Prevention Including COVID-19... Visits 4,455 Restaurants to Encourage Participation and Provides Incentives to Participating Businesses

They explain the campaign to restaurant owners and actively encourage their participation.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is promoting a ‘Food Culture Improvement Campaign’ targeting over 4,000 general and casual restaurants in the area to prevent and curb the spread of COVID-19.

The so-called ‘warm-hearted Korean dining culture,’ such as serving food or grilling meat with one’s own chopsticks, sharing food without using personal bowls, or passing around drinking glasses, has become a major cause of spreading infectious diseases by sharing saliva among people.

Accordingly, the district delivered ‘Restaurant COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines’ regarding hygiene management and social distancing to restaurant owners in the area, and promoted ‘Dining Etiquette for Daily Prevention’ to users, including ▲washing hands before meals ▲serving food into personal bowls ▲not grilling meat with chopsticks used by oneself ▲not placing food on others’ plates or chopsticks ▲not offering drinking glasses.

Since the 28th, 90 district employees and consumer food hygiene inspectors have directly visited 4,445 restaurants in the area to attach promotional materials and encourage participation in the campaign. Both users and business owners are actively encouraged to improve their awareness and voluntarily participate, and participating establishments receive supplies such as chopstick setting papers, hand sanitizers, and hygiene masks.

Previously, as part of COVID-19 prevention, the district supported a total of 58,760 disposable masks with droplet protection and hand sanitizers to food service businesses and group meal facilities in the area, and launched the ‘Delivery Restaurant Kitchen Disclosure’ project, which publicly shares the hygiene status and kitchens of delivery restaurants on the website, receiving great responses from residents.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “This food culture improvement campaign is not only for the current COVID-19 situation but aims to improve overall dietary culture to prepare in advance for any future infectious diseases,” and added, “I ask not only restaurant owners but all residents to cooperate together.”

Meal culture etiquette promotional materials are posted in restaurants.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.