Daytime Cafés, Nighttime Hold’em Pubs: Four in 10 Seoul Hold’em Pubs Violated the Youth Protection Act

[Financial News] Four out of 10 hold’em pubs in Seoul were found to have violated the Youth Protection Act.
Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Special Judicial Police Bureau for Citizens’ Livelihood said on the 8th that its inspection of 39 hold’em pubs from the 3rd to the 27th of last month found that 17 establishments, or 43.6%, had failed to display notices stating that entry and employment of people under 19 are prohibited.
All 17 establishments were hold’em pubs operating without notices prohibiting the entry and employment of youths at their entrances. Some had registered as snack bars or general restaurants, operating as cafés or board cafés during the day and offering hold’em games at night.
The inspection covered a total of 50 establishments in areas where youths were likely to visit, including 39 hold’em pubs, nine room cafés and two multimedia rooms. Officials focused on whether youths were allowed to enter or work there, whether the required notices were displayed, and how the businesses actually operated.
In one case, Establishment A registered as a snack bar and operated as a regular café from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., then as a hold’em pub from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. the following day. Although hold’em pubs had been designated establishments prohibiting the entry and employment of youths since May 2024, it had not displayed the required notice at its entrance.
Establishment B also registered as a general restaurant and operated as a board café around the clock, while offering hold’em games from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day. Its actual business activities qualified it as an establishment prohibiting the entry and employment of youths, but it had not displayed the required notice at the entrance.
Businesses that offer poker games, including Texas hold’em, are classified as establishments providing games that may encourage gambling or speculative behavior. They have therefore been designated establishments prohibiting the entry and employment of youths since May 2024. Owners must display a notice reading, “Entry and employment of people under 19 are prohibited,” in the most visible location at the entrance.
Some other establishments had placed the notice inside the entrance rather than in a clearly visible location, while others had displayed it at only some of their entrances despite having multiple entrances. Officials instructed them to place the notices in the proper locations.
The bureau explained that regardless of an establishment’s registered business category or name, it must comply with the relevant notice requirements if its actual operations qualify it as an establishment prohibiting the entry and employment of youths.
Failure to display the required notice may result in up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won under Article 29, Paragraph 6 of the Youth Protection Act. Article 28 of the Enforcement Decree of the Youth Protection Act requires owners and employees to display a notice restricting youths’ entry, use of the establishment and employment in the most visible location at the entrance.
The bureau plans to investigate the 17 hold’em pubs identified during the inspection and refer the cases to prosecutors. It also plans to continue investigating illegal activities at establishments prohibiting the entry and employment of youths, including violations involving youths’ entry and employment and failures to display the required notices.
In addition, rewards of up to 200 million won will be offered to people who contribute to the public interest by reporting or providing information about crimes along with decisive evidence.
Lee Chang-seok, head of Seoul’s Special Judicial Police Bureau for Citizens’ Livelihood, said, “Because summer vacation is a time when youths engage in more outdoor activities, business owners must actively comply with the law to protect them from harmful environments.” He added, “We will continue investigating establishments that prohibit the entry and employment of youths and do our utmost to create a safe environment for them.”

[email protected] Seong Chorong Reporter