Karaoke rooms lose youth curfew as culture ministry eases small-business rules

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday it has revised its music industry enforcement rules so that karaoke parlors no longer have to maintain a separate youth room, easing a requirement the government said had weighed on small-business owners.

The change to the Enforcement Rules of the Music Industry Promotion Act takes effect Oct. 8. It removes the youth room from the list of matters a registered karaoke business must report when it changes its registration.

The revision follows an amendment to the Youth Protection Act that reclassified karaoke parlors from businesses banned to minors' entry and employment to businesses barred only from employing minors. The amendment was promulgated as Law No. 21537 and takes effect Oct. 8.

The ministry said the revision is intended to widen cultural opportunities for young people while reducing the economic burden on small businesses. The rules were also aligned with the amended youth protection law, including the removal of a separate youth room from the list of facility standards and the deletion of a related annex form.

The revision also updates electrical safety checks, citing safety inspections under the Electrical Safety Management Act rather than the Electrical Business Act, and removes a youth room lighting rule and a related provision from the annex. Annex forms for registration and other procedures were revised accordingly.

The ministry said the rule changes are among 84 laws and regulations taking effect in October that ease youth entry restrictions at karaoke parlors.