"University students and office workers in their 20s are prohibited from entering" Recently, this notice was posted at a cafe and became a big topic of conversation. This is called the No 20s Zone.  

It is said that it was caused by people in their 20s who ordered a cheap cup of coffee and stayed at a cafe for more than nine hours, and customers who tried to connect to the café printer after ordering two drinks. As a result, self-employed people declared their 20s of labor. In addition, for the past few years, as more and more customers stay in one place for longer periods of time, businesses have restricted their hours and use of laptops. 

This is not limited to people in their 20s. It started with the emergence of restaurants and cafes that restricted children's access. Recently, it has been found that more than 500 stores nationwide operate with a No Kids Zone. With the introduction of the No Kids Zone, the No Senior Zone and No 50s Zone, which prohibit people aged 60 or older are prohibited from entering. For this reason, many argue that blocking access based on age encourages generational conflict. The United Nations Commission on Child Rights also said children must be protected from social exclusion, prejudice and discrimination. Some people commented  that these restrictions would not help inprove the low birth rate in Korea. but countries such as Europe and the United States, not Korea, began to impose age-based restrictions.  

What do you think about these restrictions?  Freedom of business owners vs violation of human rights 

<Not Limitations but a New Plan >

There are various reasons for restricting access to certain age groups, such as children running and disturbing other customers, parents demanding excessive service, and middle-aged customers sexually harassing store clerks. However, the No 20s Zone restricted access because customers who ordered a drink at a cafe and stayed at the cafe for a long time caused damage by lowering sales and turnover of the store. Every time it becomes a topic of conversation to prevent such access, various opinions come out. He also said that  business owners have no choice but to minimize business damage because their livelihoods depend on serving many customers.  

However, I think it is discrimination to restrict the access of customers of a certain age groups. This is because the more restricted the range, the easier it is to create a culture in which discrimination is taken for granted. It is also subdivided into occupations and religions across ages. The range of restrictions, such as prohibiting rap artists from entering the singing parzone and preventing church officials from entering or not receiving professors, is gradually expanding from age. Discrimination is expected to spread in everyday life and cause greater discrimination. However, restricting access to certain age groups is a violation of human rights, and it seems that other measures should be found besidesrestrictions. 

hjyoun3856@naver.com

<No 20s Zone; the opposition>

No 20s zone is severe discrimination based on age. The phenomenon of rejecting a certain age group such as no kids zone, no senior zone, No 20s zone is part of aversion that should be eliminated in our society. If this kind of aversion which excludes someone or a certain age group affects society or a country beyond individual proprietorship, or corporation, people will not be able to form a healthy society. Moreover, conflict between age groups can deepen, and this type of conflict might remove peace in our society and cause confusion in our society. Especially in the case of the café business, where the phenomenon of the No 20s zone is spreading, they can try to shift their operating rule instead of prohibition of use of 20s. By using this method and mutual consideration, people can co-exist peacefully and wisely without aversion.

an012vv77@gmail.com

<Controversy over the No-20s Zone>

Recent controversy has arisen in Korea about whether or not to allow people in their twenties into cafes. This issue was reported after a cafe displayed a “No-20s zone” note due to the concerns about most individuals in their twenties spending extended periods at cafes after purchasing only a simple, yet the cheapest, drink like an Americano. The main dispute began due to the presence of many people, in their twenties, who were overspending their time at cafes while ordering one drink, the simplest yet the cheapest, Americano, for example. This polemical issue soon became debatable across different age groups. However, considering the situation from the employee’s perspective, it is understandable why employers are frustrated as it hinders their businesses’ operation to attract more customers. As a recommended approach, it could help if private cafe business shops could freely give the option to restrict time limits depending on customers’ purchases. This suggestion will not completely solve the problem, but it will be a better approach to alert many individuals not to overstay like nine hours after buying a drink, for example. Instead of restricting a certain age group, alerting the seriousness of this issue could be more effective in alleviating the problem.

<Part of a Generational Conflict>

As the number of so-called Kagong people studying in cafes has increased, some cafes have even emerged as a new concept of the No-20s zone. It is to restrict the access of college students or office workers in their 20s who appear to be Kagong people. Kagong people refers to customers who stay in a cafe for a long time and do their studies or work. They are mainly young people, and they prefer the atmosphere and comfort of the cafe, so they choose it as a place to study. However, due to these customers, cafe owners are experiencing a decline in cafe sales and turnover. Therefore, some cafes tend to be reluctant to have many Kagong people. That's why some cafes chose to block the entry of Kagong people in their 20s, their age, to prevent them from coming. As such, one of the factors that creates the No-20s zone is some nuisance customers. However, blocking access based on age is a bad example of encouraging generational conflict. Therefore, rather than this, I think we should seek ways to solve the problem, such as imposing restrictions on cafe usage time. 

chloe7265@naver.com