Riverside boozing under threat as local governments ban public drinking

Some local authorities have begun cracking down on outdoor drinking this year to promote a “healthy” drinking culture in the country.

People spend time at Banpo Hangang Park in southern Seoul on the night of Nov. 7, 2021. [YONHAP]

Having fried chicken and beer outdoors may soon become a thing of the past in Korea.

Some local authorities have begun cracking down on outdoor drinking this year to promote a “healthy” drinking culture in the country.

The Gwangjin District Office in eastern Seoul began cracking down on outdoor drinking at a children’s park in Jayang-dong starting in the new year. The district officially designated the park as its first alcohol-free public space in October. The grace period for the new law lasted through the end of last year.

According to the ordinance declared by the local government, those who drink or possess an open container of alcoholic beverages will be fined 100,000 won ($77).

The district office of Jungnang District in eastern Seoul also prohibited drinking in Myeonmok Station Square in July. After a six-month grace period, drinking will be banned entirely in the area from Jan. 14. Those who violate the law will be fined 50,000 won.

The district office amended its related ordinance in 2022 and surveyed residents on whether or not to ban drinking at the square. The office said around 96 percent of the residents agreed to ban drinking.

With the amendment of the National Health Promotion Act in 2021, local authorities have been permitted to autonomously amend their ordinances to allow the prohibition of outdoor drinking in public spaces. The amended legislation also applies to other localities outside the capital.

The city government of Goyang in Gyeonggi has designated over 300 places, including 196 playgrounds and 148 children’s parks, to ban public drinking.

Jungnang District in eastern Seoul designated Myeonmok Station Square as its first place where public drinking is banned. A banner shows that drinking is banned in the area. [JUNGNANG DISTRICT OFFICE]

Signs banning drinking can be found at each site. People caught drinking will be fined 50,000 won.

Buan County in North Jeolla has begun fining 50,000 won to those who drink at five designated parks and playgrounds.

Suyeong District of Busan has also imposed a ban on drinking at Minrak Waterside Park in July. Merchants in the area argued that some ten businesses shut down due to the prohibition of drinking during a press conference held on Dec. 18. They also claimed that sales in the area during the high season in August dropped 75 percent, calling for the district office to draw up measures.

Many other regions, including Chuncheon and Wonju, also ban drinking in designated public places.

With local authorities urging broader bans on drinking in public spaces, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has declared an ordinance “to foster a healthy drinking culture.”

Most notably, the amended ordinance would ban drinking along the Han River, with violators facing fines of 100,000 won.

However, public opposition has kept the ordinance in the Seoul Metropolitan Council since June.

In a survey commissioned by Kim Young-ok, a Seoul Metropolitan Council’s Health & Social Affairs Committee member, around 60 percent of the 1,000 respondents said they disagree with banning drinking near the Han River. The survey was conducted for a month in September.

They claimed that the legal prohibition of light drinking outdoors is too stringent. The others who agreed with the idea said drinking should be banned for public hygiene.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]