Is the Infectious Disease Prevention Act Useless? ... 'Hongdae Hold'em Pub' Caught for the 5th Time Operating Illegally During COVID-19

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] A holdem pub, a bar where people drink while playing card games, was caught operating illegally five times despite being banned from business under quarantine guidelines.

According to the Mapo Police Station in Seoul on the 27th, A holdem pub near Hongik University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was raided by police for illegal operation at around 7:55 PM on the 25th. A total of 43 people, including the owner Bae (40), employees, and customers, were caught. Under the social distancing level 4, holdem pubs and game rooms are subject to gathering bans.

The police received a 112 report stating "The holdem pub continues to operate" and "About 50 people are gathered in an open chat room," and dispatched officers to the scene. At that time, about 40 people were playing games with cards and chips spread out at five tables, each seating about 10 people. The establishment had been caught five times over the past two months, including last month and this month. Nevertheless, it operated again and was caught. Holdem pubs have players sitting close together at narrow tables without maintaining social distancing. It is common for patrons to drink alcohol without wearing masks. In fact, last year, cluster infections centered around holdem pubs occurred in areas such as Itaewon. Because of this, the government considers these places high-risk for COVID-19 infection and prohibits their operation under social distancing level 4.

The reason illegal operations continue despite the COVID-19 situation is that illegal business yields profits exceeding fines. Holdem pubs charge entrance fees of 200,000 to 300,000 KRW and sell alcoholic beverages, making a profit even with only a few dozen customers, whereas fines under the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act amount to about 3 million KRW (1.5 million KRW for the first offense). There are concerns that the Infectious Disease Prevention Act is being undermined.

Like in this case, detection is difficult without reports. Holdem pubs secretly recruit customers through Telegram and KakaoTalk open chat rooms. Only people whose identities are verified through acquaintances can enter, or entry is controlled by checking access records. Also, unless cash transactions are caught on site, it is difficult to apply gambling charges. Professor Kim Do-woo of the Department of Police Science at Gyeongnam University said, "Operating illegally during the infectious disease spread phase harms other self-employed business owners as well," adding, "It is necessary to impose additional fines or confiscate major facilities and strongly punish repeated illegal operations."

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