'Cheonggaeguri Syndrome' Seeking Loopholes Amid COVID-19 Spread... Social Distancing Level 2.5 'Shaken'

Restricting Nighttime Dining at Restaurants Leads to Drinking Parties at Convenience Stores and Hangang
Convenience Store Consumption Also Banned, but Outdoor Tables Still in Use
Bar Owners Confuse Customers by Changing Operating Hours

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Although the entire nation is adhering to the strengthened living guidelines under social distancing level 2.5, some cases of exploiting loopholes in the regulations have drawn criticism. Examples include drinking alcohol at convenience stores during times when enforcement is lax, or using marketing tricks to circumvent business hour restrictions.

Since the 30th of last month, enhanced social distancing (level 2.5) has been implemented in the metropolitan area, making it impossible to dine in at most restaurants, including general and rest stop eateries, during nighttime hours (9 PM to 5 AM the next day). Given this situation, people have turned to convenience stores, which are not subject to nighttime dining restrictions. Although health authorities later restricted nighttime dining inside and at outdoor tables of all convenience stores in the metropolitan area, compliance on the ground remains poor.

Around 11 PM on the 1st, at the terrace in front of a convenience store in Yangpyeong-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, groups of citizens gathered and left intermittently at outdoor tables set up by the store owner. Empty seats were littered with beer cans and soju bottles. A convenience store employee said, "When we notify people that drinking at outdoor tables is prohibited, they say 'we'll just talk for a moment' but end up drinking for over an hour," adding, "It's difficult to do anything else because if we get into loud arguments with customers, it would be troublesome, so we just leave it be."

Hangang Park is also a refuge for those 'thirsty for alcohol.' At Yanghwa Hangang Park visited the same day, it was easy to see groups of 3 to 4 people spreading mats and having drinking parties. Citizen A (23) said, "This was a long-standing appointment that I couldn't cancel, so I had no choice but to come," adding, "We are sitting with some distance between us and hardly take off our masks, being careful." The banners displaying 'Hangang Safety Guidelines for the Prevention of COVID-19' hung around the park seemed ineffective. In June, a car club meeting held at Hangang resulted in 6 confirmed cases.

Photo description: On the afternoon of the 2nd, while the government's social distancing level 2.5 measures are in effect, a pub in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, has changed its operating hours and is open even during the daytime. Photo by Lee Jung-yoon leejuyoo@

Some pub owners, worried about the impact on their business, are employing various unconventional tactics. A pub in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, moved its opening time from 6 PM to 4 PM and notified regular customers registered in electronic entry logs via text message. This undermines the purpose of reducing group dining by shortening bar operating hours. Pub operator A said, "As we do not offer delivery or takeout, this is a desperate measure to survive." There are also tactics encouraging shifting drinking times from evening to late afternoon, taking advantage of the increase in people working from home.

These social phenomena risk undermining the effectiveness of government quarantine measures. Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center said, "If the trend of cluster infections is not controlled even after raising to level 2.5, skeptical evaluations of further quarantine strengthening policies may arise." Professor Kwak Geum-ju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology also said, "For those who follow the quarantine rules well, feelings of deprivation and resentment may arise, thinking 'Why do only I have to suffer like this?'"

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