Gyeonggi Cracks Down on Illegal Activities in Valleys, Rivers, Nabs 23 Violators

Gyeonggi Province's special judicial police have uncovered 23 cases of illegal activities in valleys and rivers, targeting summer vacation spots. The crackdown, which took place over 12 days from July 20 to July 31, aimed to curb repeated violations such as illegal occupation and unregistered businesses that disrupt the use of these natural areas.

Among the violations identified were three instances of unauthorized river occupation, 13 cases of operating food businesses without proper registration or failing to report changes in business area size, two instances of operating unregistered entertainment facilities, and five cases involving the installation of unauthorized structures or land alteration within restricted development zones.

Specific examples highlighted include a business operating a restaurant with temporary structures and platforms on river land without official permission. Another establishment was found to be cooking and selling food to the public without a food service permit, while a third had set up water slides and swimming pools for commercial use without registration. Additionally, a business in a restricted development zone was operating a restaurant with unpermitted tents and platforms.

Penalties for these offenses range from imprisonment of up to two years or fines up to 20 million won for unauthorized river occupation, to imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to 30 million won for unregistered food businesses. Operating unregistered theme parks or installing unauthorized structures in restricted zones can result in imprisonment of up to one year or fines up to 10 million won.

The Gyeonggi Province special judicial police plan to process these violations according to relevant laws and continue their enforcement and follow-up management to prevent recurrence. Kwon Moon-ju, head of the special judicial police, emphasized the importance of keeping these spaces accessible and safe for all residents and vowed to continue crackdowns to eradicate acts that privatize vacation spots or undermine public order through illegal operations.