10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ARE ILLEGAL IN KOREA
South Korea is full of surprises, here’s 10 you’ll want to watch out for!
1. Tattooing
Whilst having a tattoo is not illegal in Korea – though may ban you from entering some jjimjilbangs! – a quirk in Korean law means that most tattoos are done illegally. How so? Well, Korean law requires that anyone tattooing be a licensed medical doctor. However, the growing ranks of non-medically trained tattoo artists has seen little law enforcement in recent times.
2. Smoking in Public
Laws passed over the last few years have made it increasingly difficult to smoke in public areas. With a total crack down on bars, cafes and restaurants, as well as many other indoor areas, smokers have been turfed out onto the streets where they’ve been met with further bans. These restrictions cover numerous public spaces such as the area around subway station exits, designated streets, shops and several tourist areas. If you’re thinking of lighting up but you’re not sure, watch out – fines are hefty and well-enforced!
3. Dog Meat (보신탕)
While not strictly legal, the use of dog meat for consumption lies in a legal gray-zone. Most interpretations of the law make it illegal but no one seems to have told the numerous restaurants that still serve it. While the government hasn’t shown any interest in outright banning the consumption of dog meat, recent allegations regarding inhumane practices in harvesting dog meat have been spreading like wildfire.
4. Lobbying
Government lobbying is completely illegal in Korea which should allow for the government to operate freely of business interests. In theory, this means that any and all politicians are banned from receiving funds from corporations or outside organizations realistically, companies have found ways around it by offering politicians jobs after leaving office. As such, any attempt of lobbying can be simply categorized as bribery.
5. Sheer Tops (indecent exposure)
In a recent development, a vaguely worded law was passed that made indecent exposure a fine-able offense. Due to the law’s lack of clarity, many have been drawing comparisons to a similar law drafted in the 1970’s (and later revoked) that banned mini-skirts. Many concerns stem from the fact that the previous law was enacted during the dictatorship of the former president’s father.
6. Street Vendors
Believe it or not, that kindly old lady selling rice cakes and soup on the street is breaking the law. In recent interviews, politicians have been quoted saying that up to “24%” of the nation’s GDP is lost through these vendors. Since 2011, it has been illegal to operate a street stall and recent crackdowns have shown that the government has no plans to change their minds.
7. Gambling (Casinos)
Gambling in Korea is heavily regulated to the point where it is essentially illegal for Korean nationals on Korean soil. The only casino in Korea at which it is legal for Korean citizens to gamble is Gangwon Land. A small cramped casino located out in the middle of nowhere so that it would discourage gamblers it is filled to capacity every night. Gambling for foreigners, on the other hand, is completely legal and encouraged. Lucky us.
8. Online Gaming (Cinderella Law)
This is one of those conditionals, the conditions being that it takes place between the hours of 12 am and 6am and the gamer is under the age of 16. In a move that brought protests from a slew of development companies, the South Korean government passed the “Cinderella Law” preventing acｃounts for children under the age of 16 from connecting to Korean gaming servers.
9. Pornography
The production, consumption or distribution of pornography in all its forms from magazines to internet videos is completely illegal in South Korea. Originally conceived as a method of reducing sexual crimes, the law is still in full effect today. While the effectiveness of such a measure can’t be determined, it does result in less bandwidth and trouble for internet providers in Korea. Don’t act like you didn’t already know.
10. Late Night Teaching
After school programs have been around in Korea for decades as institutions of learning supplementing and sometimes replacing regular schooling programs. They are, arguably, one aspect of the educational culture which allows Korea to boast a 93% high school graduation rate. Unfortunately the other side of the coin includes the hugely public student suicides that are shown on televisions at the end of the school year. To curb over-studying, the Korean government has essentially cracked down on late night studying by forcing after-school programs to close by 10 pm. With the latest crackdowns on studying, who knows what children will do at night without porn and video games to save them.
Article Source: https://www.10mag.com/illegal-in-korea/
Image Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/5f/7a/69/5f7a69990154d50ab9140fb840045f86.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Quirk (n.) ~ a peculiar behavioral habit
2. Hefty (adj.) ~ large, heavy, and powerful
3. Gray-zone (n.) ~ an ill-defined situation or field not readily conforming to a category or to an existing set of rules
4. Outright (adv.) ~ altogether completely
5. Vaguely (adv.) ~ in a way that is uncertain, indefinite, or unclear roughly
6. Revoke (v.) ~ put an end to the validity or operation of (a decree, decision, or promise)
7. Crackdown (n.) ~ severe measures to restrict or discourage undesirable or illegal people or behavior
8. Curb (v.) ~ restrain or keep in check
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Which of the abovementioned laws are you familiar with? What are the importance of them?
2. Which of these laws are the most helpful in the Korean society? How?
3. What is your opinion on complete ban of dog meat in your ｃountry?
4. Can you recommend a law which you think would be very helpful for your ｃountry?
