Anxious Convenience Store... "Covering Cigarette Ads Blocks Store Interior View"

Government to Start Enforcement Against External Exposure from July
Covering Convenience Store Interiors Leaves Crime Vulnerable
Tobacco Ads Everywhere Inside Despite Exterior Covering
Industry Questions Effectiveness in Reducing Smoking Rates

A convenience store located in Sinjeong-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, has a translucent sheet attached to block the external exposure of cigarette advertisements.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Every year, more than 10,000 crimes such as theft, violence, and sex crimes occur steadily in convenience stores, and GS25, CU, Seven Eleven, Emart24, and others are attaching translucent sheets to prevent the interior from being visible from outside. This is because the government plans to start cracking down on external exposure of tobacco advertisements from July. However, there are concerns that due to the nature of convenience stores operating 24 hours, they may be easily exposed to various crimes.

◆ Vulnerable to crime as tobacco ads are covered = On the afternoon of the 24th, a convenience store located in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, had translucent sheets attached. As the sun set and it got dark, it was difficult to see inside from outside unless you approached the entrance of the convenience store. A staff member, A, said, "They put it up because there is a fine if tobacco ads are visible from outside," adding, "Since you cannot see inside from outside, it seems dangerous if a crime occurs." Another convenience store used not only translucent sheets but also other products and promotional banners to block tobacco ads. In this case, it was difficult to even know who was inside the store regardless of day or night.

According to the crime prevention design guidelines for buildings, the design standard for convenience stores requires that the front of the building should not be blocked and the line of sight should be secured. This is to prevent crimes that may occur during late-night operations. However, due to measures to block tobacco ad exposure, it has become impossible to identify the interior situation from outside the convenience store.

◆ Is tobacco ad regulation effective? = The National Health Promotion Act and the Tobacco Business Act stipulate that tobacco advertisements inside tobacco retail stores should not be visible from outside. Violations are punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won. If correction orders are not followed, business suspension for up to one year may be imposed. Although this law was enacted in 2011, enforcement has been lacking, rendering it ineffective. However, last year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a comprehensive smoking cessation plan to reduce smoking rates, strengthening regulations on tobacco advertising and promotions. From January this year, on-site guidance and inspections regarding external exposure of convenience store tobacco ads were planned, but the implementation was delayed after gathering industry opinions.

The convenience store industry also criticizes the government's regulation as ineffective. Although tobacco ads cannot be seen from outside, they are the first thing that catches the eye once inside the store. Since minors cannot purchase tobacco, it is uncertain whether covering ads is related to lowering smoking rates. An industry official said, "It is questionable whether there is a direct causal relationship between youth smoking rates and attaching translucent sheets," adding, "I would understand if they told us to remove all tobacco ads from convenience stores instead."

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