The Supreme Court has ruled that a "room cafe" where the interior is not visible from the outside is subject to restrictions on minors' entry, overturning a lower court decision that had acquitted the operator of such a cafe. The Supreme Court on the 28th made a final ruling that a person in their 20s, A, who operated a room cafe in Gangnam, Seoul, was guilty of violating the Juvenile Protection Act. The room cafe in question had a structure where the interior could not be seen from the outside, and a door that could only be opened from the inside. The operator, A, was charged with allowing a high school student to enter the room cafe at around 10:30 pm on September 8, 2020. The lower courts, however, found A not guilty, but the Supreme Court overturned the decision. The Supreme Court stated that "the purpose of the Juvenile Protection Act is to protect minors from harmful environments, and the room cafe in this case falls under the category of places where minors are prohibited from entering." The Supreme Court added that "even if the interior is not visible from the outside, if the nature of the place is such that it can be used similarly to a private room, it is subject to restrictions on minors' entry."
We haven't written up this one. Hankyoreh has the full story — the link below goes straight to it.
