Continued Drinking Gatherings Despite COVID-19 Pandemic... 10 PM Curfew in Entertainment District Sparks Rush to Go Home

Crowds Flock to Bars Despite Surge in COVID-19 Cases
People Pour Out After Bar Closing Time
Dozens Wait at Bus Stops
Some Give Up Trying to Catch a Taxi

Around 10:20 PM on the 7th, a bus stop near Jonggak Station in Seoul. Photo by Lee Jung-yoon leejuyoo@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Around 9:40 PM on the 7th, at Bukchang-dong Food Alley in Jung-gu, Seoul. Despite over 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases pouring in, it was easy to find groups of three or four people drinking together at one table. With one hand, they checked COVID-19 news on their smartphones, while with the other, they tilted their glasses. Even though it rained quite a bit, some tables were filled with Makgeolli bottles visible through the pub windows. As the time for the gathering ban approached, some restaurants in the food alley had their lights turned off, but inside the open pubs, the sound of conversations was lively and bustling.

At a similar time, the nightlife area near Jonggak Station showed a similar situation. Although the quarantine authorities requested to refrain from workplace dinners and gatherings, it was ineffective. Even as the lyrics "Now it's time for us to part" played, the place was crowded with people. They still shouted "Cheers" and "Let's have a drink." Office worker Choi (32) said, "A colleague who moved to another department asked to meet after a long time, so I came out," adding, "There are partitions between tables, so I don't worry much about COVID-19 infection."

At 10 PM, when pubs closed their business, the streets were filled with people. Some expressed regret at having to end their drinking sessions involuntarily. One group drank beer purchased from a convenience store while sheltering from the rain under a shade. People were seen smoking with masks lowered and spitting on the ground, and some intoxicated individuals were walking around without wearing masks.

When restaurants and pubs closed at 10 PM, the 'battle to go home' began. Dozens of people gathered at the bus stops near Jonggak Station to catch city buses. The subway station was also crowded with those trying to use the subway. The taxi-catching battle unfolded between the sidewalks and the roads. Despite waving arms and shouting "Taxi" for a long time, when no taxi was caught, some people stepped onto the road. Around 10:40 PM, the bus stop became quiet again, but people waiting for taxis lined up. Office worker Nam (36) said, "Because of the rain, I’m trying to catch a taxi, but it hasn’t come for over 20 minutes," adding, "I plan to walk toward home until I find an empty taxi." One intoxicated person tried to catch a taxi until around 11 PM but ended up empty-handed and headed back to the bus stop. Only taxis marked "Incheon" were left waiting without being chosen.

On the roads, filled only with taxis that had reservations or passengers, empty taxis with vacant signs began to appear one by one only around midnight. Taxi drivers explained that there were fewer customers than usual due to the rain. Taxi driver Park (61) said, "On weekdays, customers and reservation calls start to decrease after midnight, and on Fridays and Saturdays, after 1 AM," adding, "Today, because of the rain, no one was drinking on the streets, so the peak time seems to have ended earlier."

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