South Korea to Allow Mobile Sales of Cooked Food in Stadiums

SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- Baseball fans will soon be able to buy cooked food right from their seats as the government has decided to allow the mobile sale of hotdogs and other cooked foods in stadium aisles and stands as part of deregulation efforts.

Currently, only beer is allowed to be sold by mobile vendors, and spectators can only purchase cooked food items at concession stands and bring them to their seats due to hygiene concerns.

On Monday, the Regulatory Rationalization Committee said it has decided to allow the mobile sale of cooked foods that are unlikely to go bad while on sale, such as hotdogs, churros, highball and "dakgangjeong," a dish of crispy fried chicken glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce.

But sandwiches and gimbap, a seaweed-wrapped rice roll filled with vegetables and meat, will not be allowed due to food poisoning concerns, officials said, adding that mobile vendors are advised to sell food within two hours of cooking and ask consumers to eat it immediately.

"It amounts to an infringement of rights for the government to be blind to the everyday inconveniences of the people," said Park Yong-jin, a former lawmaker serving as vice chairperson of the deregulation committee. "We will continue to seek deregulation on issues closely linked to the daily lives of the people through active interpretation of laws and regulations."