Defying Raids on Entertainment Bars... Operating Boldly as a Regular Restaurant 'BAR'

Employees and Visitors Hard to Locate, Enforcement Difficult: 'Enforcement Blind Spot'

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] After 9 p.m. on the 26th, on the third floor of a building in Cheongna-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, faint voices could be heard from a store without a signboard. In what appeared to be a makeshift bar, a drinking party was underway between six customers and the staff. Due to recent intensified crackdowns, they have been moving to this location after 9 p.m. to continue illegal operations. The owner, Mr. Kim, said, "To cover the rent of the original store, we have to continue operating like this," adding, "But we only accept regular customers."

In a place in Yeouido, Seoul, the external signboard was turned off and the entrance door was locked, accepting only reserved customers and operating past midnight. The restriction on groups of three or more was completely ignored. Without checking vaccination status, two customers and two staff members sat at one table, naturally without wearing masks, and conversed.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, entertainment establishments have been ordered to suspend operations, but illegal operations by similar businesses such as talking bars have not ceased. Violations of operating hours and capacity limits are common, yet eradication remains difficult.

Although entertainment facilities were all closed due to assembly ban administrative orders, bar-type similar businesses are registered as general restaurants and are allowed to operate. They operate in a manner similar to entertainment pubs but are not subject to assembly ban measures. As people flock around bar-type drinking establishments, these similar businesses are considered major blind spots in quarantine efforts.

On the 19th, a large number of owners and customers operating similar businesses in violation of quarantine rules were caught in the Gangnam area of Seoul. This establishment, registered as a general restaurant, had been operating as an unlicensed entertainment pub since September 20, 2017.

Due to the nature of bar-type similar businesses, it is difficult to identify staff and visitors, so despite being high-risk COVID-19 facilities, proper crackdowns have not been conducted. Continued illegal operations have been pointed out as causes of hidden cluster infections. Even if quarantine rules are violated, these establishments only face fines up to 3 million KRW under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, leading some to operate brazenly.

The police plan to request the tax office to recover unpaid taxes from illegal businesses along with large-scale crackdowns. In fact, in a previously caught similar business, the sales revenue earned from illegal operations over the past four years was estimated at 4.8 billion KRW, and the tax office was notified to conduct a tax investigation for recovery.

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