Outdoor drinking at nighttime in Han River parks allowed again

Police officers patrol Yeouido Hangang Park Seoul, watching for violations of gathering and nighttime drinking bans, July 9. Yonhap

By Lee Hae-rin

Nighttime drinking in parks along the Han River has been allowed again after four months of being restricted as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that it lifted the ban on outdoor drinking after 10 p.m. on Monday, following the central government's “Living with COVID-19” strategy. The venues with the lifted ban include all Han River parks, Cheonggye Stream area, Seoul Forest, Gyeongui Line Forest Park and Seonyudo Park.

The city government imposed the ban on July 6 in response to the fourth wave of infections amid the spread of the Delta variant. The ban was intended to prevent people from continuing to drink outdoors in parks after the curfew shut down restaurants and bars. Those violating the regulation were subject to fines of up to 100,000 won ($83), and convenience stores on Han River parks were also banned from selling alcoholic beverages after 10 p.m.

“We decided to ease the restrictions on outdoor drinking at nighttime, considering the fact that fewer people are looking to gather in riverside parks due to lower temperatures, and stores in these areas have been experiencing a continuous decline in sales,” a city official said.

Gyeonggi Province and Incheon have lifted similar bans on outdoor drinking in parks and along rivers as well.

The official said that the Seoul Metropolitan Government will continue crack downing on people not wearing masks as well as on gatherings of over 10 people in these areas, according to the current social distancing measures in Seoul.