"Reservation Check-in Available" Text Messages... Nightlife Venues Still Using Sneaky Business Tactics

Lock the door and turn off the external sign
Promote reservations to regular customers
Operate well past 9 PM
Sometimes use third-party locations like hotels

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "Only those who received the text message can enter. Reservations for entry are accepted."

Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), alcohol establishments are restricted to operate only until 9 PM, and entertainment businesses have been forced to close entirely, leading to a surge of businesses engaging in covert operations. As group infections continue to occur in entertainment venues, there are calls for strong measures against these deceptive and illegal operations that cleverly evade police crackdowns.

Since the 24th of last month, when social distancing in the metropolitan area was raised to level 2, a 'gathering ban' equivalent to an effective business suspension has been imposed on five types of entertainment facilities, including clubs, room salons, and karaoke bars.

However, investigations revealed that many entertainment establishments, mainly in the Gangnam area of Seoul, are blatantly ignoring government quarantine measures and conducting covert operations without regard to time restrictions. They are aggressively attracting customers by distributing promotional messages stating that "if you make a reservation, you can enter regardless of the time" to their regular patrons.

Jo Mo (24), an official from an entertainment establishment near Yeoksam Station in Seoul, said, "Since we never know when the police crackdown will happen, only customers who have visited more than once can make reservations," adding, "We lock all the entrances and turn off all external signs while operating, so there is no chance of being caught, so you can rest assured."

The reason they can operate past 9 PM, which is a quarantine rule even followed by regular bars, despite the gathering ban, is that they receive customers at second or third locations rather than their original business premises. On the 15th, 13 business owners, including those who illegally operated entertainment bars by renting karaoke rooms around Myeongil-dong Station in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, were booked without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic, the Food Sanitation Act, and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Like Mr. Jo, they lured their regular customers, provided female hostesses for tens of thousands of won per person, and even arranged prostitution in other spaces within the establishment.

Not only karaoke rooms but also hotels and motels are exploited for the covert operations of entertainment businesses. On the 7th, the Suseo Police Station in Seoul arrested room salon operators who rented a hotel in Yeoksam-dong, decorated it like a room salon, received customers, and provided female hostesses. They demanded much higher fees than usual under the pretext of hotel use and were caught by the police following customer reports.

Above all, entertainment establishments are identified as major sources of hidden infections. Last month, dozens of confirmed cases occurred at a single entertainment venue in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon.

Following the disclosure of this situation, on the 8th, a petition titled "Please do not use tax money to treat confirmed cases with a history of entertainment establishments" was posted on the Blue House National Petition site and has received over 3,200 signatures to date. A police official stated, "We will thoroughly investigate illegal business practices that increase the risk of COVID-19 infection."

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