Yongsan-gu, Recruiting Participants for Non-Face-to-Face Smoking Cessation Clinic

After Phone Application, Submit Registration Card via Email, Mail, or Fax... Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Behavioral Reinforcement Items Provided... Ongoing Regular Counseling... 50,000 KRW Worth Souvenirs for Successful Quitters

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) is operating a ‘non-face-to-face’ smoking cessation clinic to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and promote the health of residents.

Any resident who wishes to quit smoking can participate.

From Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., residents can contact the district’s smoking cessation clinic and submit a registration card via email to the person in charge (iam6712@citizen.seoul.kr), by mail, or fax.

The related forms can be downloaded from the ‘Civil Service Forms’ section on the Yongsan-gu Office website.

Afterwards, the district sends nicotine replacement therapy products (up to a 3-week supply per session) and behavioral reinforcement items (such as hand acupressure devices and aroma pipes) by courier, and clinic staff provide regular telephone counseling.

Nicotine replacement products are over-the-counter medicines. Since telephone counseling and prescriptions related to smoking cessation are temporarily allowed due to COVID-19, the district plans to thoroughly monitor to prevent side effects.

Additionally, the district sends supportive text messages in stages during specific times when smoking cravings are strong (such as after waking up or after meals).

Also, those who consistently maintain smoking cessation for six months after registering with the clinic and receive more than nine counseling calls will receive a smoking cessation success gift worth approximately 50,000 KRW.

Using the ‘cotinine (a substance that measures nicotine levels) test kit’ sent by the district, participants can take a certification photo of their smoking cessation success and reply via email to the person in charge.

A district official said, “As smokers are included in the high-risk group for COVID-19, inquiries about registering for the smoking cessation clinic have greatly increased,” adding, “Although face-to-face services are not possible, we believe that non-face-to-face services can be sufficiently effective.”

Last year, 1,678 people participated in the district’s smoking cessation clinic, and among them, 478 succeeded in quitting smoking for more than six months.

Besides operating the smoking cessation clinic, the district encourages residents’ smoking cessation activities through various methods such as designating smoke-free zones in apartment complexes and smoke-free streets around schools, and cracking down on smokers.

In particular, the district newly designated smoke-free streets around Hangang Elementary School, Yonggang Middle School, and Namjeong Elementary School earlier this year, and plans to expand smoke-free streets to all elementary, middle, and high school commuting routes in the district by the end of the year at the earliest.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “We are operating the smoking cessation clinic non-face-to-face to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” and added, “We hope everyone will challenge themselves to quit smoking as soon as possible for their own health as well as for their neighbors and the local community.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.