Locked doors, reserved customers, and unauthorized hostesses employed... Police arrest 982 including illegal entertainment venue owners

3-Week Intensive Crackdown on Illegal Business Operations
Overwhelming Violations of the Infectious Disease Control Act

A nightlife district in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The police conducted a large-scale crackdown on illegal entertainment establishments that were blind spots in COVID-19 quarantine measures, apprehending nearly 1,000 violators of quarantine rules.

According to the National Police Agency on the 15th, the police carried out a "focused crackdown on unauthorized entertainment establishments and illegal businesses" for three weeks from the 25th of last month until the day before. A total of 2,122 police officers and 832 local government officials were deployed to inspect 14,725 entertainment establishments nationwide.

The police cracked down on a total of 145 cases involving 982 people for violations including breaches of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. By type, violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, such as disobeying gathering ban orders, were the most frequent with 103 cases involving 912 people. Violations of the Food Sanitation Act accounted for 14 cases involving 38 people, and violations of the Music Industry Act were recorded as 28 cases involving 32 people.

In Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 9th at around 7:35 p.m., four individuals including a business owner were caught operating an unauthorized entertainment bar by employing entertainment workers despite being a general restaurant. On the same day in Busan, 20 people were caught after a karaoke practice room hired nine hostesses and operated to evade inspection.

Additionally, in Gwangju on the 9th at around 9:30 p.m., eight people were arrested after a karaoke practice room locked its doors and operated exclusively for reserved customers. On the 8th, entertainment bars in Cheongju, Chungbuk, and Jeonju were also cracked down on for operating behind locked doors for reserved customers.

The police plan to continuously monitor compliance with administrative orders for entertainment establishments in cooperation with local governments and others.

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