I am an administrative agent working in Songdo, Incheon. As of this afternoon, here are three items of news that bear directly on running a business and on permits and licensing.
Today's three key points > - Gyeonggi Province will run a focused crackdown on about 150 unregistered restaurants and camping-style self-barbecue sites in business-registration-restricted zones from October 12 to 23. > - The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has amended its notice on quality certification standards for children's favorite foods, tightening the standards for the use of sugar alcohols. > - Sejong City filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on September 15, refusing to accept the ruling that cancelled its siting decision for a waste treatment facility. The issue is the scope of "residing nearby" for the resident representative on the site selection committee.
## 1. Focused crackdown on restaurants and camping-style barbecue sites in business-registration-restricted zones
- What is changing — The Gyeonggi Province special judicial police unit will carry out a focused crackdown on about 150 restaurants, cafes and camping-style self-barbecue sites operating in business-registration-restricted zones such as restricted development zones (greenbelt) and water source protection areas. The main targets are workaround operations that register as a retail business or a space rental business and then operate like a restaurant without a food service business registration. Inspectors will also check for violations of labeling standards, use of products past their shelf-life date, and violations of refrigerated and frozen storage standards.
- Who is affected — Anyone operating a restaurant, cafe or campsite in a restricted development zone or a water source protection area
- Effective from — October 12 to 23, 2026
- A word from the administrative agent — Operating without registration carries up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. What matters is that, separately from criminal punishment, administrative measures such as closure of the business premises proceed on their own track. If you provide seating and equipment for customers to grill meat at a campsite, you may be subject to food service business registration rather than a space rental business registration, so it is safer to confirm your business category and facility standards before the crackdown begins.
- Source: Naewoe News Agency, Gyeonggi Province special judicial police announcement
## 2. Amendment to the quality certification standards for children's favorite foods — tighter standards on sugar alcohols
- What is changing — The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has amended its notice on quality certification standards for children's favorite foods, applying stricter standards for the use of sugar alcohols (xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, maltitol and the like) in products seeking quality certification. The change reflects the fact that excessive intake of sugar alcohols by children can cause digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea.
- Who is affected — Food companies that manufacture children's favorite foods or plan to apply for quality certification
- Effective from — ⚠️ The effective date needs to be confirmed against the original text of the notice
- A word from the administrative agent — The more prominently a product advertises itself as "sugar-free," the more its formulation needs a second look. If you are preparing a quality certification application, reviewing your ingredient composition against the amended standards before setting your filing date is the way to reduce the risk of rejection.
- Source: Korea Policy Briefing, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety draft amendment to the notice
## 3. Cancellation of a waste treatment facility siting decision heads to the Supreme Court
- What is changing — Sejong City filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on September 15, refusing to accept the appellate ruling that overturned its siting decision and public notice for the waste treatment facility at the eco-friendly integrated town. The core issue is whether the resident representative who took part in the site selection committee was in fact a resident living "nearby" the facility. The court of first instance found no problem with the procedure, but the appellate court held that the resident representative was hard to regard as a nearby resident. Because the legislation sets no distance standard, the key question is how the Supreme Court will define the scope of "nearby." ⚠️ Some reports described the appellate conclusion as a finding of "invalidity" and others as a "cancellation," so the written judgment needs to be checked.
- Who is affected — Parties involved in projects that must go through resident consultation procedures, such as waste treatment facilities and incineration plants, and residents living nearby
- Effective from — Appeal filed with the Supreme Court on September 15, 2026; Supreme Court review to follow
- A word from the administrative agent — In cases like this, the outcome usually turns on procedural defects rather than on whether the facility is needed. Whether the committee's composition and the records of resident consultation were kept as the requirements demand becomes the central axis for challenging the disposition. The Supreme Court's decision could also affect how site selection committees are composed in other regions. What we assist with is the administrative procedure and the stage of submitting opinions.
- Source: Yugyo Shinmun, News1
## Deadlines to watch this month
- October 12-23 — Gyeonggi Province focused crackdown in business-registration-restricted zones
- October 26 — Deadline for comments on the legislative notice for the Enforcement Decree of the Aviation Safety Act (expansion of drone registration requirements)
*This briefing is a guide prepared by the Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent Office on the basis of publicly available materials. Whether it applies to any individual case needs to be confirmed with the competent authority.*