The Seoul Metropolitan Government is working with public health centres across the city’s 25 districts to create safer nightlife environments through its Intoxication Prevention Campaign. At the centre of the initiative are “Intoxication Prevention Streets”, areas where participating restaurants and alcohol-serving businesses commit to responsible practices designed to reduce heavy intoxication, protect minors and prevent alcohol-related harm. The campaign presents prevention as a shared responsibility involving the city, district authorities, public health professionals, local organisations and businesses.

A new educational video, published by the Seoul Integrated Health Promotion Support Team on 30 July 2026, explains the campaign to participating business owners with the help of Seoul’s mascot, Haechi. The video stresses that severe intoxication can endanger not only the person drinking, but also staff, other customers and people using the surrounding streets. Its central message is practical: relatively small changes in how alcohol is sold and served can help businesses contribute to safer premises and communities.

The video outlines four actions for participating businesses. Staff are encouraged to serve alcohol responsibly, avoid pressuring customers to drink quickly or consume shots, and monitor customers’ condition. Businesses should provide water and food, offer alcohol-free drinks and encourage customers to slow down or take a break. They are also asked not to admit people who are already severely intoxicated, to stop serving customers who have become intoxicated, and to help them return home safely, involving companions or the police when necessary.

The fourth commitment is to prevent alcohol sales to minors by checking identification before every sale and refusing service when age cannot be verified. Seoul’s campaign is notable because it moves beyond messages directed only at individual drinkers and addresses the environment in which drinking takes place. By engaging alcohol-serving businesses, public health centres, community organisations and student supporters, the city is attempting to establish responsible service as a visible community standard rather than leaving the consequences of intoxication solely to customers.

Find more from Seoul Integrated Health Promotion Support Team (South Korea, July 2026)