Seoul to crack down on clubs, entertainment facilities as war on drugs escalates
Published: 08 Aug. 2024, 17:51
Updated: 08 Aug. 2024, 18:25
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- CHO JUNG-WOO
- cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr
![A city government official advises a bar owner on drug use prevention in an undated photo provided by the Seoul city government on Thursday. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/08/08/1db656d0-9a9c-4a06-9a07-427a0739ccb0.jpg)
A city government official advises a bar owner on drug use prevention in an undated photo provided by the Seoul city government on Thursday. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it will crack down on some 4,000 entertainment facilities, such as clubs, in Seoul this month in response to surging cases of drug use and trafficking involving such places nationwide.
Owners found offering their facilities for drug trafficking and use, as well as aiding and abetting drug crimes at these places, will face strong penalties, such as shutting down their businesses, the city government said. The facility's name, location and violation details will also be disclosed to the public.
The amendment to the Food Sanitation Act, which went into effect on Wednesday, allows for administrative penalties, such as shutting down a facility, if the owner violates drug-related laws. Previously, owners found violating such laws only faced criminal penalties under the Narcotics Control Act and were permitted to continue operating their businesses.
The city government stressed the need for the crackdown at clubs, noting that more than half of recent drug offenders were in their 20s and 30s.
According to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, 11,058 drug offenders were apprehended between January and June this year, an increase of 8.7 percent compared to the same period last year. Of them, 1,478 offenders were arrested.
The number of drug offenses involving entertainment facilities also tripled over three years, rising from 193 in 2020 to 686 in 2023, according to data from the National Police Agency.
A special crackdown team comprising 51 agencies, including the city government’s Special Police Bureau for Citizens’ Livelihood & Safety, 25 district offices, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the capital's police precincts, will target around 4,000 facilities this month.
Inspections for hygiene and drug trafficking prevention at these facilities will be conducted weekly, even after this month's special crackdown.
The city government has also been promoting drug prevention by posting posters at these facilities and educating facility owners to use testing stickers to check for suspicious drugs in drinks since June.
“We will ensure that drug-related offenses disappear from club-type bars through special crackdowns on entertainment facilities," Kim Tae-hee, head of the city government’s Citizens’ Health Bureau, said.
The official also cautioned against trying drugs even once, saying that using drugs “out of curiosity can become a life-threatening weapon.”
BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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