Mapo-gu Incumbent District Council Member Caught Violating 'Gatherings of 5 or More Prohibited' Rule at Party Room Meeting

On the 23rd, when special quarantine measures banning all private gatherings of five or more people were implemented in the metropolitan area, a sign reading "Only groups of 4 or fewer allowed" was posted at the entrance of a restaurant in Seoul. Starting from the 24th, the ban on gatherings of five or more will be extended to restaurants nationwide, and cancellations or refraining from private gatherings will be strongly recommended. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] A current district council member in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was caught violating the "ban on gatherings of five or more people," a measure to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to the Mapo Police Station on the 29th, Council Member A was caught by the district office and police during a crackdown while holding a gathering of five people at a party room near Hapjeong Station in Mapo-gu around 11 p.m. the previous night. The party room was subject to the gathering ban.

A citizen reported the incident after noticing loud noises coming from inside the building, which led to the crackdown. Earlier, the government prohibited gatherings of five or more people at restaurants nationwide as part of special year-end and New Year quarantine measures from the 24th of last month until January 3rd of next year. Violators face fines of up to 3 million KRW for operators and up to 100,000 KRW for users.

A police official stated, "If the district office files a complaint against them, we plan to investigate whether there is a violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and proceed with booking."

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