"No Drugs, Alcohol, or Cigarettes" Hwaseong-si's Full Effort to Block Harmful Environments for Youth

Addiction Harm Prevention Education for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students
Joint Crackdown on Harmful Establishments Near Schools Also Conducted

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province has concentrated administrative efforts to block youth exposure to harmful environments such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

To proactively address addiction issues among youth, Hwaseong City will conduct the "2025 Youth Addiction Harm Prevention Education" starting next month. This education, organized by the Hwaseong City Addiction Management Integrated Support Center, will be tailored for elementary, middle, and high school students in the area to raise awareness of the risks and prevention of the four major addictions: alcohol, drugs, gambling, and the internet.

Hwaseong City is conducting a campaign during a joint inspection of harmful environments around schools with related organizations such as Hwaseong Western Police Station. Photo by Hwaseong City

The education will be conducted online from April 7 to July 18. Students wishing to participate can select their preferred education topic and apply through the Hwaseong City Addiction Management Integrated Support Center website by the 31st.

Earlier, on the 26th, the city conducted a joint inspection and crackdown on youth harmful environments around schools in the Bongdam-eup area. This operation involved Hwaseong City, Hwaseong Western Police Station, and the Hwaseong Youth Harmful Environment Monitoring Group, targeting over 80 establishments such as convenience stores, general restaurants, and karaoke rooms along the school routes of Bongdam High School.

The joint inspection team focused on ▲ checking for the presence of signs prohibiting the sale of harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco to youth and the act of selling such substances ▲ violations of youth entry and employment bans ▲ acts facilitating cohabitation of opposite-sex youth in motels. During the crackdown, promotional materials for improving harmful environments were distributed, and protection campaigns were conducted for youth exposed to risks such as drinking, smoking, violence, and running away from home.

Song Ji-hye, Director of the Youth and Adolescent Policy Division of Hwaseong City, stated, "Recently, there has been an increase in youth harmful establishments providing gambling and games that promote gambling tendencies." She added, "We will continue monitoring and inspection activities in cooperation with related organizations to ensure that youth can grow up in a safe environment."

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