Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 6 Live Performance-Style Restaurants Violating Quarantine Rules

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has caught six general restaurants violating COVID-19 quarantine rules.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Livelihood announced on the 26th that from the 2nd to the 6th of this month, they conducted a focused investigation on illegal business activities, including violations of COVID-19 quarantine rules, targeting 135 locations in four areas with many general restaurants featuring 7080 live performances: Suwon, Seongnam, Ansan, and Goyang, and caught six violations.

Among the major cases caught, a business ㄱ located in Suwon City was registered as a general restaurant but had sound and accompaniment facilities and allowed customers, not singers, to sing. Unlike entertainment bars or nightclubs, only hired singers can perform in general restaurants like live cafes.

A business ㄴ in Paju City was caught operating a hold'em pub (a type of establishment where customers drink alcohol while enjoying card games), which is a prohibited business under gathering restrictions. A business ㄷ in Seongnam City was caught violating the Level 4 social distancing rules by having five people gather after 6 p.m., violating the ban on private gatherings of three or more people.

In cases where sound and accompaniment facilities are installed in general restaurants to allow customers to sing, it is a violation of the Food Sanitation Act punishable by up to three years imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million KRW. Operating prohibited gathering facilities is a violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act punishable by a fine of up to 3 million KRW, and violating the ban on private gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. is also a violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, resulting in a fine of 1.5 million KRW for the operator (first offense) and a fine of 100,000 KRW for users.

Yoon Tae-wan, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Livelihood, emphasized, "As the spread of COVID-19 continues, we will continue crackdowns to establish fair business order and prevent the spread of COVID-19 for the safety and lives of residents."

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