Eating Prohibited from 9 PM to 5 AM at Convenience Stores in Gyeonggi-do

Administrative Order Prohibiting Eating and Drinking at Convenience Stores During Late Night Hours
Business Owners Face a 3 Million Won Fine for Violations

On the 1st, with social distancing level 2.5 in effect due to the resurgence of COVID-19, a notice stating "Restriction on Nighttime Tasting Area Operation" is posted at a convenience store in downtown Seoul. During the regular COVID-19 briefing that day, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced, "Most convenience stores fall under general restaurants and snack bars, so eating inside convenience stores and at outdoor tables after 9 p.m. is prohibited." Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Gyeonggi Province has issued an administrative order prohibiting eating and drinking at convenience stores during late-night hours.

On the 4th, Gyeonggi Province announced that from 9 PM to 5 AM, eating and drinking inside and outside convenience stores will be restricted. This is the third administrative order following Seoul and Incheon, and will remain in effect until a separate lifting measure is announced.

If the eating and drinking restriction administrative order is violated, business owners may be fined up to 3 million KRW and users may be fined up to 100,000 KRW according to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

Fines will be imposed starting October 13 after a guidance period. The administrative order restricting gatherings applies to 11,857 convenience stores in the province.

Gyeonggi Province stated, "The act of buying and selling between sellers and buyers for eating inside convenience store premises is broadly considered a gathering, and thus included in this administrative order," adding, "We considered that infections difficult to trace through contact between users in crowded spaces or via disposable items could occur."

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