Fines of 600,000 KRW Starting Next Month for Smoking in National Parks... Up to 2 Million KRW

On the 21st, with clear autumn weather, the foliage is coloring in Bukhansan National Park, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Starting next month, anyone caught smoking in national parks will be fined 600,000 KRW from the first offense.

The Ministry of Environment announced that the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Natural Parks Act, which increases fines for smoking violations within national parks, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 25th. The amendment will be promulgated and immediately enforced early next month after completing subsequent procedures.

According to the amendment, if caught smoking outside designated areas in national parks, the fine will be 600,000 KRW for the first offense, 1,000,000 KRW for the second, and 2,000,000 KRW for the third, which is the statutory maximum. This represents a 5 to 6 times increase from the current fines of 100,000 to 300,000 KRW.

Fines for prohibited acts such as possession of flammable materials will also be adjusted to match those for smoking violations.

For violations such as camping outside designated areas or using unauthorized trails, fines will increase to 200,000 KRW, 300,000 KRW, and 500,000 KRW depending on the number of offenses. Currently, fines for illegal camping are 100,000 KRW, 200,000 KRW, and 300,000 KRW, and for trespassing violations, 100,000 KRW, 300,000 KRW, and 500,000 KRW.

Drinking alcohol in shelters and trails will incur a fine of 100,000 KRW from the first offense. Currently, the fine is 50,000 KRW for the first offense and 100,000 KRW from the second offense onward.

The amendment also includes provisions allowing temporary operation of campgrounds for up to four months annually in marine and coastal natural parks such as Taeanhaean, Byeonsanbando, Dadohae, and Hallyeohaesang.

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