Ahead of Halloween, 272 People Caught in One Night in Seoul for Repeated Violations of Quarantine Rules...

Emotional pubs also caught in Busan
Police conduct special inspections until the 31st

On the afternoon of the 29th, ahead of the weekend Halloween, the Itaewon World Food Street in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is bustling with citizens. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Ahead of Halloween Day on the 31st, illegal entertainment establishments such as clubs operating in violation of quarantine rules were repeatedly caught.

According to the police on the 30th, a total of 7 cases involving 272 people were caught in Seoul the previous day for violating quarantine rules. In Itaewon, a business registered as a general restaurant but actually operating as a club was caught continuing to operate past 10 p.m.

In Gangnam, one unlicensed club was caught, and restaurants and entertainment bars violating the gathering ban were also caught in the Hongdae and Gwanak-gu areas.

Not only in Seoul but also in Busan, one emotional pub that held a Halloween event the previous day and admitted nearly twice the allowed number of people was caught by the police. It was reported that the establishment was full of customers dressed in Halloween costumes at the time. Additionally, two entertainment bars in Haeundae that operated past the business restriction hours and accepted customers were also caught.

The police have been conducting joint inspections and crackdowns on entertainment facilities since the 29th ahead of Halloween Day on the 31st. The main inspection targets are entertainment facilities in areas densely populated by foreigners and young people, such as Itaewon, Hongdae, Gangnam, Seocho in Seoul; Seomyeon in Busan; Bupyeong in Incheon; and Ansan and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province.

The police plan to mobilize maximum available personnel including the riot police and tourism police units, strengthen intelligence gathering on clubs operating secretly as well as patrol activities. A police official explained, "This is a preemptive measure to prevent mass infections before the phased transition to daily recovery."

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