South Korean Supreme Court rules ‘room cafes’ off-limits to minors

South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that room cafes, venues offering private booths with televisions, mats and pillows, can fall within businesses barred to minors.

The court overturned a lower court’s decision to acquit an operator and sent the case back to the Suwon District Court for a new trial. The case concerned a venue in Suwon, Gyeonggi province, that operated from March 2022 to February 2023.

The cafe had 16 private rooms. Only two had transparent windows through which the operator could see inside, while the other 14 were not visible from outside. Each room had a mat and pillow that allowed customers to sit or lie down, along with a television.

The operator faced accusations of allowing eight teenagers aged 14 to 17 to enter without displaying a sign stating that minors were prohibited. The Supreme Court said restrictions could not be limited to businesses involving physical contact between hostesses and customers, or between customers who did not know each other. “The room cafe in this case was open to the general public and was structured in a way that made it difficult to see inside the rooms from outside, creating the possibility that kissing, other physical contact or sexual activity could take place inside,” the court said.

The first trial classified the cafe as a prohibited business and fined the operator two million won. The appellate court later acquitted the operator, saying the venue employed no entertainment workers and did not arrange meetings between customers. The Supreme Court rejected that narrower interpretation and ordered a new trial.

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The room cafe in this case was open to the general public and was structured in a way that made it difficult to see inside the rooms from outside, creating the possibility that kissing, other physical contact or sexual activity could take place inside.