Selling Alcohol to Minors Caught Five Times More Often... Is This All?

Difficult to Detect Without Reports
Authorities Also Take a Passive Approach

The number of restaurants that received administrative sanctions for selling alcohol to minors has increased nearly fivefold within a year. Considering that enforcement is difficult without direct reports, it is estimated that there are many more establishments selling alcohol to minors that have not been caught.

According to Seoul City on the 4th, the number of restaurants in Seoul that received administrative sanctions last year for selling alcohol to minors was 110, which is more than 4.7 times the 23 cases recorded in 2023. By district, Songpa-gu had 25 cases, Gangdong-gu 13, Gwanak-gu 11, and Seongbuk-gu 9, among others. In particular, the number of administrative sanctions steadily increased from 4 cases in 2020, 5 in 2021, and 10 in 2022, showing a significant rise in 2023 and last year.

Under the current Juvenile Protection Act, if a restaurant operator provides alcohol to minors under the age of 19, they may face imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won. Separate from criminal penalties, local governments can also impose business suspension orders of up to six months under the Food Sanitation Act. However, if a minor forges an ID or if the operator fails to verify the minor’s age due to assault or threats, administrative sanctions can be avoided.

Although the number of cases of alcohol sales to minors being caught is increasing, detection is not easy. It is difficult to catch violations on-site without reports. A police official stated, "Enforcement requires checking each customer's ID at every restaurant, but from the business owner's perspective, this could be seen as interference with business," adding, "There is also concern about public backlash from conducting regular inspections of restaurants without any reports."

Moreover, local governments take a passive stance on on-site enforcement, arguing that since selling alcohol to minors is subject to criminal punishment, the police should be the main enforcement body. In fact, most administrative sanctions by local governments are confirmed to be based on police detection data. A local government official in Seoul said, "The police, who have investigative authority, mainly conduct enforcement against violations of alcohol sales to minors," and added, "District offices are administrative bodies that receive all violation data from the police and issue administrative sanctions based on that."

Professor Lim Joon-tae of Dongguk University’s Department of Police Administration said, "Since administrative sanctions are mostly imposed only on cases reported to the police, the actual number of violations is likely much higher," and added, "It seems necessary for not only the police but also administrative agencies to mobilize administrative power and take a more proactive approach to administrative guidance."

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