Penalties for overcharging at food service establishments such as restaurants and bakeries are set to be significantly strengthened, resulting in business suspension starting from the very first violation.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it will revise and promulgate the Enforcement Rule of the Food Sanitation Act containing these measures today (September 1).

According to the revised enforcement rule, if a food service establishment fails to display its prices or charges more than the posted prices, it will face a five-day business suspension upon a first offense, replacing the previous penalty of a corrective order.

Establishments that continue to overcharge will face a 10-day business suspension for a second offense and a 20-day suspension for a third offense.

Previously, the penalties were a seven-day suspension for a second violation and a 15-day suspension for a third violation.

This measure was prepared as a follow-up to the Comprehensive Countermeasures to Eradicate Overcharging jointly announced by relevant government ministries on February 25.

At the time, the government decided to revise the enforcement rule so that restaurants, accommodations, and other businesses could face business suspension with just a single first-time detection of overcharging.