Alcohol ban sought in public places

The government plans to prohibit drinking and advertising of alcoholic beverages in designated public places in an effort to reduce potential alcohol abuse.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday it will draft guidelines to impose fines of up to 3 million won ($2,580) for drinking in school zones, youth centers, and hospitals.

It said the guideline will also no longer allow advertisements for alcohol products on buses.

The plan is to discourage citizens, especially teenagers from consuming excessive amounts of alcohol and thereby avoid the harmful effects of heavy drinking.

“We’ve found in cases overseas, including Denmark, France and Sweden that less exposure to commercials for alcohol products leads to less alcohol consumption as well as fewer cases of addiction,” a ministry official said.

In 2011 the National Assembly passed a government-initiated bill to prohibit commercials for beer, soju and other alcoholic beverages in movie theaters showing films without age restrictions.

The law that took effect this month also prevents advertisements of alcohol products on screen doors on subway platforms.

The official added that the ministry still needs to finalize details of the guidelines.

“Schools zones will definitely include all areas close to elementary, middle and high schools. Regarding hospitals, however, we may have to exclude funeral halls that are located inside, as some mourners tend to drink,” she said.

Buses are a common form of transportation and preventing alcohol marketing on them is expected to be effective.

“We have found that citizens are frequently exposed to advertisements on the sides of buses and a preventive measure needs to be taken as soon as possible,” the official said.

One alcoholic beverage producer said it will follow the ministry’s plan despite a possible decrease in sales.

“Our company may see a drop in profit, but such a decrease will be throughout the market, which means our share will remain the same,” said a public relations official of the Hite-Jinro Group, the country’s leading beer and soju manufacturer.

“We accepted the government’s ban of commercials at theaters and advertisements at subway stations, and we’re ready to accept the new ban too,” he added. <The Korea Times/Yi Whan-woo>

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