From tomorrow (22nd), boys over the age of 4 will not be able to enter the women's bath and girls will not be able to enter the men's bath.



The age at which children of the opposite sex are not allowed to enter together with a guardian of the opposite sex, which was originally 5 years of age or older, has been lowered by one year.



The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced today that some amendments to the enforcement rules of the 'Public Sanitation Management Act' containing these contents will be implemented from the 22nd.



It is the first time in 19 years since the age limit for male and female bathroom access was lowered from 7 years old to 5 years old in June 2003.



For a long time, bathhouse owners have consistently suggested that the age of boys entering women's baths should be lowered.



This is because, as children develop faster than in the past, complaints from female bathhouse users that boys who followed their mothers to the women's bath are uncomfortable have followed.



The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the amendment to the legislation in January after considering the proposals from the bathing industry and families that had no choice but to bring a child of a different gender to the bathhouse due to unavoidable circumstances, such as single-parent families.



Netizens expressed various opinions on the news that boys over the age of 4 will be banned from entering the women's bath and girls from the men's bath.



"Just as a boy coming to a women's bath is uncomfortable, a girl coming to a men's bath is also uncomfortable", "It's the same whether it's a 5 or 4 year old. Is there even a need to lower it to 4?", "What is the meaning of lowering the age? At that age, even the children are embarrassed. Ban it altogether.”



Meanwhile, people with mental illness, who were previously banned from entering the bathhouse, will be allowed to enter in the future.

This is because the regulation prohibiting access to public baths for the mentally ill has been criticized as a violation of human rights.

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(Photo = Yonhap News)