Gyeonggi Autonomous Police Commission Approves Special Joint Crackdown on Entertainment Districts

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Southern and Northern Autonomous Police Committees of Gyeonggi Province have deliberated and resolved to conduct joint inspections involving the province, city and county governments, police, and fire departments targeting entertainment districts to curb the early spread of the 4th wave of COVID-19.

The Southern and Northern Autonomous Police Committees of Gyeonggi held emergency committee meetings on the 21st and announced on the 23rd that they had approved the joint inspection plan as a joint policy in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Accordingly, the Southern and Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency (Autonomous Police) will conduct special crackdown joint inspections on entertainment facilities within the province from the 22nd of this month until the end of next month, in cooperation with Gyeonggi Province, each city and county, and the fire department.

The committee plans to maximize the deployment of available police personnel for the special crackdown and closely cooperate with the province and city and county governments to enhance the effectiveness of the inspections.

The inspection targets include approximately 16,000 high-risk dense areas operating mainly at night across 20 zones, such as clubs, entertainment bars, karaoke bars, emotional pubs, hunting pubs, and singing practice rooms.

The joint inspection team will focus on ▲ compliance with administrative orders banning gatherings at entertainment facilities ▲ unauthorized business operations ▲ re-opening of previously cracked-down establishments ▲ illegal entertainment operations in singing practice rooms and general restaurants ▲ violations of quarantine rules (such as failure to prepare electronic entry logs, operating hours violations, etc.).

Facilities and users found violating quarantine guidelines will be fined, and in cases of gathering ban violations, they will be prosecuted and subjected to administrative measures such as suspension or closure orders within three months.

Additionally, during the joint inspection and crackdown period, drinking and driving enforcement around entertainment districts will be strengthened, and to block non-metropolitan area entertainment excursions, drinking and driving checks will be intensified at provincial border points to prevent balloon effects caused by differences in social distancing levels by region.

Kim Deok-seop, Chairman of the Southern Autonomous Police Committee, emphasized, "Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is a critical issue directly related to the safety and lives of residents," adding, "We will respond thoroughly to curb the spread of COVID-19 through close cooperation between the province and the police."

Earlier, on the 13th, Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung held an emergency press conference stating, "Regarding the 4th stage social distancing, overreaction in quarantine is better than insufficient or delayed response," and appealed for cooperation, saying, "We will mobilize all capabilities to end COVID-19 with the mindset of protecting the lives and safety of residents. Please join us."

Since its launch on the 1st, the Southern and Northern Autonomous Police Committees of Gyeonggi Province have been preparing to develop policies linking local administration and public security administration to discover protection policies for socially vulnerable groups such as children, adolescents, women, and the elderly, and to provide safety, traffic, and security services that meet residents’ expectations.

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