Seoul City, Police and Autonomous District Joint Special On-Site Inspection of Karaoke Practice Rooms... Focused Crackdown on Irregular Operations

'Special Quarantine Week' Focused On-Site Inspections At Indoor And Outdoor Multi-Use Facilities Crowded With Citizens

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is strengthening on-site inspections focusing on facilities crowded with citizens and blind spots in quarantine measures during the 'COVID-19 Special Quarantine Week.' In particular, comprehensive inspections will be conducted on indoor and outdoor multi-use facilities including large department stores, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Hangang Park, along with focused crackdowns to eradicate irregular operations in karaoke rooms and entertainment establishments.

On the 27th, Seoul announced through the comprehensive measures for the 'COVID-19 Special Quarantine Week' that it will conduct special on-site inspections of karaoke practice rooms together with the police, focusing on irregular operations such as arranging helpers or selling alcoholic beverages and violations of quarantine rules. The city plans to intensively inspect about 1,600 karaoke practice rooms in Seoul to enforce quarantine rules and impose strong penalties such as fines and suspension of operations if violations are found.

Seoul will deploy joint inspection teams from the city, district offices, and police to apply the 'One Strike-Out System' to core quarantine rule-violating businesses in seven bustling entertainment districts including Gangnam, Itaewon, and Hongdae, imposing assembly bans, fines, and warnings. To eradicate irregular operations violating quarantine rules, joint crackdowns with the police will be promoted, and administrative measures will be strictly enforced upon detection of violations such as failure to prepare visitor logs and eating or drinking on-site, actively addressing quarantine blind spots.

Outdoor facilities such as Cheonggyecheon Stream and Hangang Park, where visitors have surged in spring, will also be intensively inspected for eating and drinking activities. Special inspections of major department stores, large marts, and shopping centers expected to attract many visitors during Family Month will be conducted every weekend for two weeks starting from the 1st of next month. Cheonggyecheon Stream will be strictly monitored with day and night crackdowns focusing on sections with high citizen gatherings (Cheonggye Plaza to Hwanghakgyo), in cooperation with four district offices (Jung-gu, Jongno-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Seongdong-gu), with fines imposed for second violations and other stern measures.

Additionally, large distribution facilities will undergo special on-site inspections to ensure compliance with key quarantine rules such as temperature checks and symptom screening of entrants, restricting entry of symptomatic individuals, banning tasting, sampling, and sample product services, and prohibiting use of rest areas (lounges, chairs, etc.) by visitors. Intensive inspections will also be conducted on 1,800 small and medium-sized academies and 432 dance and ballet academies, with strict responses including fines and facility closures under a zero-tolerance policy for violations.

Preparations are also accelerating for the pilot introduction of the 'self-test kits' conditionally approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Seoul is considering introducing them in high-risk facilities such as call centers and the Seoul Complex Logistics Center, which represent the three Cs (close contact, confined spaces, and crowded places), in cooperation with related organizations. However, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' usage principles, self-test kits are to be used for screening, not for confirmed diagnosis, and quarantine rules must be strictly followed regardless of test results. Seoul is negotiating to conduct a pilot project for self-test kits targeting 18 companies and 6,000 people at the Seoul Complex Logistics Center in May.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “As the weather warms, citizens' outdoor activities and visits to multi-use facilities are increasing, leading to a rise in cluster infections. In line with the government's Special Quarantine Week, Seoul will also promote strong on-site inspections and joint police crackdowns to eradicate irregular operations, and implement a pilot project for self-test kits in high-risk facilities such as call centers in cooperation with related organizations.”

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