Police Crack Down on 23 People at Unauthorized Entertainment Venue... Notification of 4.8 Billion Won in Fines Imposed

Traces of illegal operation at an unlicensed entertainment bar.
[Photo by Seocho Police Station, Seoul]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A nightlife establishment operating illegally in violation of quarantine rules was caught by the police. The police notified the tax authorities to impose tens of billions of won in additional taxes on the business, which had been operating without a license for several years.

According to the police on the 24th, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul apprehended a total of 23 people, including the owner Lee and 10 employees, as well as 13 customers, at around 9:30 p.m. on the 19th in the basement level 1 of a building in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, where they were illegally operating in defiance of the assembly ban order.

The establishment had been operating illegally for about four years and was caught during the "Crackdown Period on Illegal Operations of Entertainment Facilities." The police plan to notify the Seocho Tax Office with tax data requesting the collection of 4.8 billion won.

Owner Lee had registered the business as a general restaurant, but from September 2017 until the day of the raid, he installed seven rooms, three halls, and one bar in the establishment and employed female entertainment workers to drink with customers, operating an unlicensed nightlife venue.

According to the police investigation, the establishment's average monthly sales were about 100 million won. Considering the business operated for 48 months, the police judged that a tax investigation and collection of 4.8 billion won were necessary. Additionally, the police booked the owner and 10 employees on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act and notified the district office of violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act by all those apprehended.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a crackdown on illegal operations of entertainment facilities from the 19th to the 20th of this month to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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