Is S. Korea neglecting children's call to abolish 'no-kids zones'?

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The South Korean government has turned a blind eye towards a joint request by a group of a hundred children and teens here calling for the elimination of restaurants and cafes banning the entrance of children, a local news report revealed Thursday.

A joint resolution calling for the riddance of so-called "no-kids zones," drafted last year by a hundred students aged 10 to 17 from across the country -- elected by their peers to represent them at a government-organized 20th National Children's General Assembly -- has seen little discussion within the government so far, according to Yonhap News Agency.

An official at the Ministry of Welfare revealed at this year's 21st National Children's General Assembly, which kicked off Tuesday, that the government had "partially accepted" last year's proposal to abolish no-kids zones.

"Regarding 'no-kids zones,' we conducted a survey last year and decided to launch a campaign to create a child-friendly environment based on the results," said the official. "In light of this, we judged that we have partially accepted the General Assembly's proposal," the official added.

The news report pointed out that the official did not provide further details on the matter, as the government has been struggling to convince business owners to abolish "no-kids zones." The issue remains sensitive, with some voicing out the need to take some business owners' opinions into consideration.

The welfare ministry released a survey in December last year on business owners who run "no-kids zones." In the survey of some 200 business owners, 35 percent said fear of disruptive children causing friction with other consumers was the reason for banning the entrance of young customers.

Thirty-five percent said they wanted a quiet atmosphere, while 28 percent said they fear conflict with parents who do not control their children.

The measures needed to stop the operation of no-kids zones include "strengthening parental responsibility in public places and publicizing it," which accounted for 71.4 percent of the total.

"There are many opinions in favor of no-kids zones among the general public," said an official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, "but there could be possible adverse effects by uniformly allowing or disallowing such zones or giving uniform guidelines in operation."

In conjunction with the National Center for the Rights of the Child, the Ministry of Health and Welfare holds the National Children's General Assembly annually to realize the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child's 2002 resolution, "A World Fit for Children" and fulfill national responsibilities.

At the General Assembly, child delegates debate and adopt resolutions to address their demands to adults.

Last year, they proposed 14 agendas, including the elimination of "no-kids zones," strengthening arts education, expanding playgrounds and activities for children, ensuring learning opportunities and reinforcing support for vulnerable children, providing diverse after-school programs, and increasing career and economic education programs.

Attention has centered on how the government will address the "no-kids zones" issue, as children have voiced concerns over the unfairness of such discrimination themselves and the debate remains highly contentious, involving both parents and business owners.

 

By Choi Jeong-yoon(jychoi@heraldcorp.com)