Access to alcohol to be limited at stores

By Kim Rahn

Alcoholic beverages will be displayed at a remote place from main aisles at discount stores in Seoul, as part of the city’s effort to lower alcohol consumption and thus reduce problems arising from excessive drinking.

The municipal authorities said Tuesday that it established a guideline to minimize people’s access to alcohol products at all the capital’s 63 discount chain outlets which minors frequently visit.

“It is the nation’s first policy to limit the access to alcohol. It is also meaningful as those stores participated in the guideline making as part of their social responsibility,” an official said.

The most drastic change will be moving alcoholic beverage sections to inconspicuous locations, so that shoppers won’t pick up such beverage on impulse while walking on the aisle.

The stores are recommended to have a separate room for alcoholic beverage, a measure implemented in the U.S. and Britain. “We believe it will be effective in preventing minors from accessing alcohol,” the official said.

But if they can’t have a separate place, the alcohol section should be located at the very inner aisle, far from exits or moving walks. “In such cases, we recommend the alcohol section be located far from sections of snacks, which usually accompany alcohol.”

The measure will be implemented starting February.

Also, the stores will not be allowed to hold promotional events at places other than the designated alcohol section. Advertisements using video clips, special booths or models of the alcoholic beverage cans or bottles will be banned even in the special section.

“Ads using posters or panels will only be allowed. But in that cases as well, posters of celebrities promoting the products will be banned,” he said.

The city will also prohibit those stores from displaying alcohol beverage in boxes, so customers wanting to buy such beverage in bulk will have to receive the boxes at a separate place like a warehouse.

Such measures follow a survey by the city in August, in which 64.6 percent of discount stores were selling alcohol to minors and 46 percent had alcohol sections in conspicuous places.

“Policies lowering the access to alcohol are recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent and reduce damage from excessive drinking,” the official said.

“As the guideline doesn’t have a legal binding force, the stores’ voluntary participation is important. We plan to set up another guideline for smaller-sized stores next year, as well as establishing an ordinance to make the rules obligatory.”

In the meantime, the government passed a revision of the enforcement ordinance on food sanitation to make alcohol beverage manufacturers registered as food producers, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Following the change, stricter regulations on food hygiene will be applied to alcohol producers starting next July, while they used to be under looser rules by a separate ordinance.