Drinking at Cheonggye Stream? It could cost you $70
Having a cold beer by the water at Cheonggye Stream may soon come with an unexpected price tag. Foreign tourists as well as local visitors could face fines for drinking or smoking along Seoul’s Cheonggye Stream, as the city moves to crack down on unruly behavior following a series of incidents that drew public criticism. Drinking, smoking, entering the water, cooking, sleeping outdoors, urinating…
Drinking or smoking near Seoul's Cheonggye Stream could soon incur a $70 fine for both foreign tourists and locals. The city aims to combat inappropriate behavior after several incidents prompted public scrutiny. Besides drinking and smoking, entering the stream, cooking, sleeping outdoors, urinating, and bringing pets into the area are already banned.
However, safety officers had no legal means to impose fines, relying solely on warnings. Currently, a team of 40 safety officers patrol the 8.12-kilometer stream between Cheonggye Plaza and its junction with Jungnang Stream in shifts.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to officially designate the entire stream as a no-drinking and no-smoking zone under the National Health Promotion Act. They plan to revise relevant ordinances, empowering district officials to enforce the rules and start imposing fines by the year's end. The new regulations will specifically target fines for those who drink and smoke.
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- Drinking at Cheonggye Stream? It could cost you $70 koreatimes.co.kr
