3800 Illegal Entertainment Venue Operators and Others Caught in 'Quarantine Blind Spots'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police have launched a large-scale crackdown on illegal entertainment establishments that have been overlooked in COVID-19 quarantine measures, resulting in the apprehension of more than 3,800 violators over five weeks.

According to the National Police Agency on the 3rd, from the 5th of last month to the 9th of this month, the police deployed 12,647 officers and conducted joint inspections with local governments at 42,137 entertainment venues nationwide. During this process, they cracked down on 670 cases of illegal activities, including violations of quarantine guidelines, involving 3,802 individuals.

By type, there were 388 cases and 3,317 individuals violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, 39 cases and 181 individuals violating the Food Sanitation Act, and 242 cases and 295 individuals violating the Music Industry Act. Additionally, 1 case involving 15 individuals was caught violating the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Prostitution.

In Seoul, on the 4th of this month, 53 people, including business owners who operated a membership-based reservation system employing 25 entertainment workers at an entertainment bar in Seocho-gu, were apprehended. The Incheon Police Agency also conducted a focused inspection of entertainment facilities from 7 p.m. on the 6th to 1 a.m. the next day, a six-hour period, catching 141 people violating the assembly ban order.

Considering the ongoing spread of COVID-19, the police plan to continue intensive crackdowns on illegal operations of entertainment establishments for the time being. The main targets for enforcement are ▲ unlicensed operations ▲ operating outside inspection hours ▲ operating with lights off or doors locked ▲ reoperation of previously violating establishments.

A police official stated, "We will collect intelligence on illegal operations of large entertainment venues such as clubs, which pose a high risk of mass infection, and will conduct focused crackdowns on habitual offenders."

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