ULSAN — Adults-only game arcades known in Korea as "adult PC cafes," which were running illegal cash-exchange operations near a traditional market, have been caught in a joint crackdown ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
The Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency said on the 21st that it had worked with the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) to inspect adults-only game arcades around a traditional market in Nam-gu, uncovering three illegally operating venues and arresting three people. The agency said it would refer 28 venues that violated facility standards and other rules to the Nam-gu Office for administrative action.
Police and GRAC deployed 23 inspectors on the night of the 18th for a sweep of 81 adults-only game arcades clustered within a 500-meter radius of the market. The inspection focused on illegal cash exchanges, the provision of games without rating classification, violations of facility standards, and breaches of registration and operator compliance requirements.
Officers identified three illegal adults-only game arcades on site and booked three people, including operators, on suspicion of violating the Game Industry Promotion Act and of opening a gambling space. They seized 29 gaming machines, 8.65 million won in cash and three mobile phones at the scene. During the inspection, three residents in their 70s from the surrounding area were found using gambling-style games.
Police planned the pre-emptive crackdown to head off illegal operations timed to the holiday period, when foot traffic and cash transactions increase. Under a policy of focusing enforcement on everyday living spaces, the Ulsan police agency inspected areas around school commuting routes first, rural and fishing districts in Ulju-gun second, and the traditional market area in this third round.
The agency said it plans to continue unannounced intensive crackdowns on clusters of illegal adults-only game arcades after the holiday, without limiting the effort to particular areas or periods.
"We carried out a pre-emptive crackdown so that residents can spend a peaceful holiday without falling victim to illegal gambling-style operations," Ulsan Police Commissioner Choi Bo-hyun said. "We will strengthen joint inspections with related agencies and follow-up administrative action so that illegal adults-only game arcades cannot gain a foothold."
