Gwangju Seo-gu to Conduct Intensive Smoking Ban Zone Crackdown Starting from the 19th

Published 15 Sep.2022 15:34(KST)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Yi-gang) announced on the 15th that it will conduct joint inspections of no-smoking zones in public facilities due to an increase in complaints about outdoor smoking and secondhand smoke exposure since the outdoor mask mandate was lifted.

The joint inspection, which will take place from the 19th to the 30th, will consist of three teams totaling 18 members, including responsible public officials, no-smoking guides, and police officers, who will focus on no-smoking zones in public facilities. Inspections will also be conducted during nighttime and holidays.

The inspection targets include 9,815 no-smoking zones within Seo-gu, such as public buildings and medical facilities classified as public facilities under the National Health Promotion Act, no-smoking zones in common residential areas like apartment hallways, no-smoking zones within 10 meters of kindergarten and daycare facility boundaries, and city parks and bus stops designated by ordinance.

Key inspection items include smoking behavior within no-smoking zones, the presence of no-smoking zone designation signs, installation and compliance of smoking rooms, and compliance with the installation location and adult verification device standards for cigarette vending machines.

Violations of smoking within no-smoking zones may result in fines of up to 100,000 KRW, while violations of no-smoking zone designation and cigarette vending machine installation location and adult verification device attachment may incur fines of up to 5 million KRW.

A Seo-gu official stated, “Along with inspections of no-smoking zones, we plan to conduct guidance and no-smoking campaigns in areas with frequent complaints about secondhand smoke on the streets to promote a smoke-free environment. We ask all residents to participate so that a culture of no smoking in public places can be established and a clean Seo-gu free of cigarette smoke can be created.”