Daytime Colatec and Unregistered Erotic Massage Shops... 1,000 Places Caught Violating Quarantine Rules

Joint Government Inspection Team Uncovers 1,011 Quarantine Violations
Noncompliance with Dining for 5 or More, Business Hours, and Social Distancing
Reviewing Increased Fines for Gathering Ban Violations

A colatec that violated the gathering ban in Gyeonggi-do was caught. About 100 people were dancing and drinking and eating at tables.
(Photo by Ministry of the Interior and Safety)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] During the daytime, over 100 people gathered to dance at a colatec, and numerous blind spots in quarantine measures were uncovered, including massage shops that did not keep visitor logs.

On the 20th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety disclosed the results of the "Government Joint Special Inspection of Quarantine Sites," which investigated the implementation of COVID-19 quarantine measures on-site over the past month through a government joint inspection team.

As a result of inspections conducted on 13,230 locations nationwide, including restaurants, cafes, entertainment venues, indoor sports facilities, lodging facilities, and academies, 1,011 violations of quarantine rules were detected. The inspection team filed 16 complaints, ordered one business suspension, imposed 67 fines, and issued 927 on-site correction orders.

Entertainment bars that accepted customers through online reservations to evade inspections, turned off their signboards, and operated with locked doors were also caught. Variant smoking cafes registered as unmanned vending businesses were found operating after 9 p.m., violating the midnight business ban, and karaoke rooms that operated late into the night or sold alcoholic beverages were also subject to crackdowns.

Interior view of a nightlife bar that operated with its signboard lights turned off and doors locked after taking advance reservations online (Photo by Ministry of the Interior and Safety)

Despite the ban on private gatherings of five or more people, cases of five to nine people dining or drinking together at restaurants or pubs were detected. Some places violated the 9 p.m. business closure rule by operating late into the night, and others failed to comply with distancing measures such as maintaining a 1-meter distance between tables, installing partitions, or leaving one seat empty. Additionally, cases were confirmed where lodging facilities violated regulations limiting occupancy to two-thirds of the rooms.

At colatecs (priority management facilities), which are subject to gathering bans, violations of quarantine rules were found on-site, including about 100 people dancing during the daytime and drinking together at tables. The relevant local governments were urged to impose strict penalties. Massage shops operating 24 hours without keeping visitor logs and other quarantine blind spots were requested to be jointly inspected by local governments and the police.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, while operating the government joint inspection team, requested related ministries to review system improvements. The Ministry of Education and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency are promoting measures for education superintendents to directly impose administrative sanctions if academies violate infectious disease laws under the "Academy Act." They are also considering raising fines from the current 3 million KRW for violations of gathering restrictions or bans under Article 49, Paragraph 1 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. The Ministry plans to activate a special on-site inspection system for facilities where gathering bans have been lifted or are operating under restrictions, such as karaoke rooms, indoor standing concert halls, cafes, indoor sports facilities, academies, and religious facilities.

Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Interior and Safety, stated, "Although the COVID-19 situation has eased somewhat due to national participation, it is by no means a stage to be complacent," and added, "The key to successful quarantine is participatory quarantine thoroughly practiced on-site. Therefore, we will focus administrative power on each ministry and local governments to ensure a continuous on-site inspection system is operational."

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