Opened the 'Bimil Chulipgu' Secret Entrance, Customers and Hosts Rush In... Police Crack Down on 43 at Unauthorized Entertainment Venue

No Signboard but Customers Enter
Caught Red-Handed by Police Investigation

Police conducting a crackdown on an unlicensed entertainment bar discovered a secret entrance and are opening the door. Inside, 37 people, including customers and hostesses, were hiding.
[Photo by Seoul Gangnam Police Station]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] More than 40 people, including the owner and customers, were caught in a police crackdown after operating an unlicensed entertainment bar with a separate hiding space prepared in anticipation of the raid.

On the 20th, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul announced that they had booked Lee Mo (44), the owner of the unlicensed entertainment bar, along with employees, hostesses, and customers totaling 43 people, on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

According to the police, Lee and others are suspected of operating an unlicensed entertainment bar without a signboard in the basement level 1 of a building located in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, at 11:55 p.m. the previous day.

The police, in accordance with a comprehensive crackdown plan on entertainment facilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19, formed a joint inspection team with the Gangnam District Office and were conducting inquiries when they witnessed customers entering an unmarked establishment. They then received support from one unit of the riot police and proceeded with the raid.

The entertainment bar covered an area of 271.2㎡ and operated seven rooms. Each room contained bottles of alcohol and side dishes, suggesting that business was ongoing until just before the raid, but there were no customers or hostesses present. After about 20 minutes of searching, the police discovered 20 customers and 17 hostesses hiding in a secret underground space accessed through a hidden entrance.

A police official stated, "We will continue to establish a cooperative and continuous joint inspection and crackdown system with local governments and other agencies, and strive to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through proactive prevention and enforcement activities."

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