BREACH OF SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES

[Anchor Lead]

Restaurants and bars have been ordered to close by 10 p.m. in an effort to contain the virus spread. But people move to motels to drink after those establishments’ business hours have ended. Those who drink in secret in motel rooms don’t follow the five-person gathering ban and one motel owner who tried to dissuade customers from breaking the law ended up getting beaten by one of the customers.

[Pkg]

An area in Seoul packed with motels. When the clock hit 10 p.m. people carrying plastic bags head toward the motels.

[Soundbite] (Motel Guest(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "We have to go inside. Are you going to the motel to drink? Yes."

[Soundbite] (Motel Guest(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "We decided to go to a motel because we haven’t gotten together for a long time."

They are gathered in motel rooms to continue drinking after restaurants and bars close for the day. A CCTV footage from one motel on the night of April 25th. Three men are seen walking toward the motel. One man carrying a plastic bag containing green bottles enters the motel first. Two others follow him just moments later, but the motel owner stops them. That was when one of the men shoved the motel owner. The man who didn't even wear a mask, choked the motel owner at one point. This incident happened when the motel owner tried to stop the three men from entering a two-person occupancy room.

[Soundbite] (Motel Owner(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "I asked them which room they were going to and warned them no more than 2 people were allowed because of quarantine rules. They said it was none of my business."

When they are caught breaking the room capacity rule, the guest and the establishment owner are fined 100,000 won and 1.5 million won, respectively. Motel owners are having trouble dealing with these so-called “room drinkers.”

[Soundbite] (A Motel Manager(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "We argue with them and send them back every time because we are very strict in preventing such activities."

[Soundbite] (B Motel Manager(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "Two men would come in and one would go up to the room first and then the other would say he's going for a smoke first. That’s when a different man would go up to the room."

These “room drinkers” may help boost the motel revenues, but cleaning up after them is a huge headache.

[Soundbite] (Motel Owner(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "They completely trash the room with food waste, delivered food and empty bottles."

Health authorities plead with the public to avoid non-essential gatherings but motel room drinking continues openly in violation of disease control regulations.