‘Concept cafes’ blur line between ordinary establishments, adult entertainment

 

So-called concept cafes — themed cafes where employees serve customers while wearing revealing outfits — are gaining popularity across Korea, raising concerns that a new form of quasi-sexual entertainment is expanding without proper regulation.

 

Critics caution that minors are being exposed to sexually suggestive environments because the cafes are legally registered as ordinary restaurants, which allows underage customers and workers despite increasingly provocative business practices such as sparkling wine service and intimate photo sessions.

 


 

Six female employees dressed in revealing “delinquent”-style outfits greeted customers during a themed “Yankee Day” event at one concept cafe in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 15. The roughly 30-square-meter (323-square-foot) venue contained a small stage and six round tables.

 

The term “Yankee” is derived from the Japanese slang term for rebellious youth popularized in the 1970s.

 

“I’ve always liked dressing up in flashy clothes, so I became interested in the job,” said a first-year college student who started working at the cafe four days ago. “Most of the customers are young people ranging from high school students to people in their 20s.” 

 

Regulating minors’ entry of so-called maid cafes, establishments where employees dressed as maids call customers “master,” was discussed during last year’s parliamentary audit. However, the maid cafes are now spreading in modified forms under a variety of themes.

  

A schedule chart listing various themed events for May, in the left and photo of an employee at a concept cafe in social media posts from the concept cafe’s account [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 

Themed cafes have since diversified into new concepts. 

 

One Mapo cafe that opened last month promotes itself with a cat theme, posting photos on social media of employees wearing cat-ear headbands and revealing costumes. Other cafes opened last year in Seoul’s Gwanak and Seodaemun districts adopted themes such as “animal maids” and “game players.”

 

Some establishments have introduced even more provocative business models.

 

At a concept cafe in Mapo District, customers who order expensive sparkling wine packages can receive individualized service from designated employees. The cafe’s most expensive sparkling wine costs 700,000 won ($460). The cafe advertises different lengths of one-on-one hosting sessions depending on the sparkling wine ordered, including “169,000 won for a 30-minute session to listen to a ‘heroic tale’ [where the employee reacts enthusiastically to the customer’s story for the agreed-upon time]” and “300,000 won for a one-hour session.”

 

Sexually suggestive photos — known as “cheki
,” derived from the Japanese word for instant camera photos — have also become a major source of revenue. Customers paying 10,000 to 20,000 won can take close-contact Polaroid-style photos with employees wearing revealing outfits. Cafes also sell themed photos of employees online to customers who do not visit in person.

 

A post uploaded to a concept cafe’s social media account celebrating a customer’s purchase of an expensive champagne package [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 

The issue is that minors are legally allowed to enter and work in the concept cafes because the cafes areregistered as regular restaurants.

 

“I first learned about maid cafes through social media and started visiting a few times with friends, but now I come alone,” said a high school student surnamed Kim, whom reporters met at a concept cafe in Mapo District. “After I found my
oshi [favorite employee], I kept coming back because it’s fun talking to her.”

 

Online forums also show evidence of minors visiting concept cafes. 

 

“Are minors not allowed to buy sparkling wine?” asked one online user, referring to whether such purchases are allowed at the concept cafes. 

 

“Just buy nonalcoholic sparkling wine,” replied another user. 

 

Concerns have also emerged over online privacy violations, including the exposure of workers’ personal information. Some customers upload photos of employees taken during cafe visits to online communities alongside visit reviews.

 

Such posts are often followed by comments evaluating workers’ appearances or making sexually explicit remarks, leading to secondary harassment. Some websites even operate private members-only online communities where users can share and view reviews of concept cafe visits.

 

A private members-only online community where users can rate and review concept cafes [SCREEN CAPTURE]

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“The problem stems from the idea that paying money allows people to consume another person’s body and emotions,” said Noh Yoon-ho, an attorney at the law firm Attorney in April
. “Once people begin viewing others not as human beings but as tools, it can lead to relationship-based crimes and other forms of abuse that have recently become a social issue.”

 

Local governments currently lack sufficient legal grounds to regulate such businesses.

 

Because the cafes are registered as ordinary restaurants under the Food Sanitation Act, authorities can’t prohibit minors from entering or working there. There are also no clear legal standards governing provocative outfits or customer interactions, making enforcement difficult, according to local authorities.

 

“One controversial example in the past was room cafes [cafes with private enclosed rooms often frequented by teenagers], which authorities were able to regulate because the private-room setup itself fell under existing regulations,” a local government representative said. “But concept cafes are structurally almost identical to ordinary cafes. Authorities can only crack down if adult entertainment services
 are clearly proven, but the legal standards for doing so are extremely strict, making enforcement practically impossible.”

 

A concept cafe advertises champagne packages and personalized hosting services in a promotional image posted on the cafe’s social media account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 

Experts argue that faster responses are needed to address emerging businesses designed to circumvent existing regulations.

 

“Local governments are inevitably reluctant to conduct crackdowns on their own when the legal grounds are unclear,” said
 Heo Min-sook, a researcher at the National Assembly Research Service. “It may be necessary to quickly revise the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s list of businesses prohibited from admitting or employing minors in order to establish clearer grounds for enforcement.”

 

“Given the growing number of new and modified businesses harmful to minors, discussions are needed on ways to regulate harmful activities involving minors even at establishments officially classified as ordinary restaurants,” added Heo.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY OH SAM-GWON [[email protected]]