Seoul gets tough on soda sales to students
In this 2008 photo, children drink milk from a vending machine at Seoul Bulgwang Elementary School’s sports facility. / Korea Times file
By Ko Dong-hwan
Seoul Mayor Park Won-sun is getting serious with his bid to protect children from obesity ― through a brake on soda sales at schools and other facilities for students.
Park said Wednesday he will introduce a city-specific regulation to limit soda sales at 62 public facilities for students from elementary, middle and high schools.
Because there is no law banning soda sales, the city came up with the regulation that Park expects will encourage the facilities and schools to support its goal, according to a Seoul Metropolitan Government official.
Park plans to extend the soda restriction to schools. The move reflects the Korean capital’s view that the high calorie level and low nutrition of the drinks cause obesity and other health problems for students.
Seoul’s war with soda began in November 2015, when it advised about 240 government offices and clinics to stop selling the drinks at 550 vending machines in their buildings. It also advised city metro stations to replace pops with healthy drinks in vending machines.
But the war fizzled after the advice was largely ignored.
Some lawmakers had even proposed to ban stores near schools selling sodas and fast food like hamburgers and cup ramens. But the National Assembly canned the plan, saying it would damage store sales.