Pension Parking Lot Full, Restaurant Fully Booked... Crowds Avoiding Distancing Head to Gangjeondo

Parking Lots and Cafes Near Beaches Bustling
Balloon Effect as Vacationers Avoid Metropolitan Area Level 4 Restrictions

On the 17th, the first weekend of the implementation of Level 4 social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area, visitors continued to flock to Dongmak Beach in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, to enjoy their vacation. Photo by Byungdon Yoo tamond@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "It's vacation season, but since we can't do anything, we came here at least."

On the weekend of the 17th, the first since the implementation of Level 4 social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area, the area around Dongmak Beach in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon resembled a chaotic scene. At 6:10 p.m., when private gatherings of three or more people were already banned in Seoul, the road adjacent to the beach was filled with vacationers' vehicles. As one car slowed down to park, the cars behind honked their horns simultaneously. Although it lasted less than a minute, severe traffic congestion began behind.

Restaurants near the beach were busy welcoming customers without exception. Vacationers who came to the sea to eat grilled clams or sashimi headed to restaurants in small groups. It was hard to find empty tables in each restaurant, and each table was occupied by 3 to 4 people. It was natural that social distancing between closely packed tables was not observed. Some vacationers eating food and drinking alcohol went outside, took off their masks, smoked cigarettes, and had loud conversations.

On the 17th, the first weekend of the implementation of Level 4 social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area, visitors continued to flock near Dongmak Beach in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, to enjoy their vacation. Photo by Byeongdon Yoo tamond@

Ko Jae-woon (31), who came here from Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, after nearly two hours, said, "My friends and I planned a gathering two months ago, but it was suddenly raised to Level 4, so we had no choice but to come." He added, "Since we can't do anything during the vacation period, we came to get some fresh air over the weekend."

As evidence of this situation, nearby pensions were also continuously visited by vacationers. Especially pensions not far from the beach were hard to find vacant rooms. In each pension, the parking lots were filled with cars brought by vacationers, parked two or three deep. Park (52), a pension owner, explained, "All room reservations were fully booked right after the news of the Level 4 upgrade was announced," adding, "Reservations for next weekend are already full."

On the 17th, the first weekend of the implementation of Level 4 social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area, visitors continued to flock to Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. In the afternoon, vehicles heading to Ganghwa via the Chojidaegyo Bridge were lined up in a long queue. Photo by Yoo Byung-don tamond@

On that day, visitors to Ganghwa Island kept coming from lunchtime. Around 1 p.m., a long line of vehicles formed on Chojidae Bridge, the entrance to Ganghwa Island. This was in stark contrast to the empty opposite lane. The resort offering luge experiences was also popular. The cable cars carrying mainly family vacationers operated nonstop throughout the afternoon.

Cafes located throughout Ganghwa Island were crowded with outsiders. Families and couples appeared to stop by cafes to cool off from the midday heat. Some vacationers gathered by pushing together two tables for groups of five or more. When an employee asked them to comply with quarantine guidelines, they separated the tables but continued their conversations.

On the 17th, the first weekend of the implementation of Level 4 social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area, vacationers continued to visit Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, to enjoy their holidays. As evidence of this, the pension parking lots were so full of cars that it was difficult to find empty spaces. Photo by Byungdon Yoo tamond@

Earlier, the quarantine authorities judged that measures to reduce social contact such as gatherings and movement were necessary and implemented Level 4 social distancing for two weeks from 0:00 on the 12th to 24:00 on the 25th in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. However, Ganghwa-gun and Ongjin-gun in Incheon were excluded from this measure due to various conditions such as confirmed cases.

However, the government's quarantine measures were rendered ineffective by the "balloon effect," where vacationers from the metropolitan area flocked to Ganghwa-gun and Ongjin-gun. The side effects of this balloon effect, where people visit non-metropolitan areas for gatherings and entertainment, have already begun.

In particular, in Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province, 21 people on the 16th and 31 people on the 17th, totaling 92 confirmed cases since the 12th, were reported. If the current trend continues, the number of new daily confirmed cases is expected to increase to 60-70 by the end of this month. Given this situation, Gangneung-si decided to urgently implement Level 4 social distancing measures from the 19th to the 25th.

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