Yoon: "Underage drinkers who voluntarily report will face business suspension, not punishment"... Immediate action taken

President Yoon Orders Suspension of Administrative Actions
Official Letters Sent to Relevant Ministries and Local Governments Within 3 Hours
Formation of Consultative Body for Legal Amendments Also Planned

President Yoon Suk-yeol, upon hearing the unfair stories of self-employed business owners who were suspended from operations after minors disguised their identities to drink alcohol and then self-reported, stated, "Minors who drink alcohol and buy cigarettes and then self-report should not be punished." He further instructed that even if legal amendments are made later, immediate action should be taken by sending official letters to local governments to prevent basic local authorities from imposing administrative sanctions.

President Yoon, during the tenth public discussion forum titled "Small and Medium Enterprises and Small Business Owners Running Together, A Livable Economy" held at the complex cultural space 'Layer57' in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, the previous day, listened to the heartbreaking stories of self-employed business owners and said, "I don't understand why the law is enforced this way," according to a written briefing by Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, on the 9th.

At the forum the day before, the story of Jeong Sang-hoon, who runs a pork barbecue restaurant in Mapo, was introduced. In November 2022, Jeong’s business was suspended because a minor intentionally drank alcohol and self-reported. Jeong appealed, saying, "There are others who did bad things, but I have to bear all the damage alone, which is so frustrating and infuriating that it even caused me to suffer from depression."

Yeo Seok-nam, who operates a direct sales market in Oido, said, "My daughter sold cigarettes to a minor wearing a mask and a hat, was reported, paid a fine of 600,000 won, and the store was suspended," adding, "The burden should not be placed only on small business owners; there should also be penalties for bad minors."

After listening to the stories, President Yoon mentioned, "From the perspective of self-employed business owners, hiring a lawyer and applying for a stay of execution to prove their innocence is also a burden," and emphasized, "Minors who drink alcohol and buy cigarettes and then self-report should not be punished."

Expressing frustration, President Yoon said, "It is already hard to make a living, so why on earth is this happening?" and instructed Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, "Even if legal amendments are made later, immediately send official letters to all local governments to prevent basic local authorities from imposing administrative sanctions on such cases."

According to the Presidential Office, just three hours after President Yoon’s immediate action directive, at 2:47 p.m. on the 8th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which oversees the Food Sanitation Act, sent official letters to local governments requesting careful consideration in administrative sanctions or prosecutions so that sellers are not penalized if it is proven that they checked the ID when selling alcohol to minors.

Moreover, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety decided to prioritize the implementation of exemption measures from administrative sanctions through the 'Active Administration Committee' immediately after the public discussion forum ended. Related ministries including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family have begun working on forming and operating a consultative body for legal amendments.

In response, spokesperson Kim said, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration will continue to listen to the voices of the people and become a 'warm government' and an 'active government.'"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the "Public Discussion on Livelihoods with the People - Tenth Session, Small and Medium Enterprises and Small Business Owners Running Together, A Livable Economy" held on the 8th at Layer57 in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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