Seongdong-gu Installs Smart Smoking Booths in Public Open Spaces of New Private Buildings

Recommendation to Install Smart Smoking Booths in Public Open Spaces of New Private Buildings Over 2000㎡
Expected to Prevent Secondhand Smoke Damage and Protect Smokers' Rights Through Smart Smoking Booths Installation

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is promoting the installation of Seongdong-type smart smoking booths within publicly accessible spaces of private buildings with a total floor area of 2,000㎡ or more.

The Seongdong-type smart smoking booth is a sealed smoking booth first installed by Seongdong-gu in November 2022, the first of its kind among local governments. It is equipped with negative pressure facilities, so even if the booth door is opened, cigarette smoke does not leak outside. The principle is to keep the air pressure inside the booth lower than the surrounding area, ensuring that air always flows from outside into the booth. Additionally, an air purification system is installed to continuously circulate the internal air, and the purification filter expels cigarette smoke and harmful substances outside. Currently, two booths are installed near Seoul Forest Station on public land, and 10 more booths are planned to be added this year.

The smart smoking booths have received high praise as spaces considerate of both smokers and non-smokers. They are evaluated to have greatly contributed not only to minimizing conflicts between the two groups but also to resolving the issue of secondhand smoke that occurs in general smoking areas.

Accordingly, since September last year, the district has expanded the target to the private sector and is actively encouraging the installation of smart smoking booths in newly constructed private buildings with a total floor area of 2,000㎡ or more (for multi-family housing and officetels, private buildings with 20 or more households/units).

For newly constructed buildings that receive relaxed regulations on floor area ratio and height by installing publicly accessible spaces above a certain ratio according to the Building Act, the installation of smart smoking booths within these spaces is mandatory when applying for building permits (or when applying for review if subject to the Building Committee review). For buildings that do not receive such relaxations through publicly accessible spaces, installation is recommended.

Accordingly, the building owner of the relevant new building must specify the location of the smart smoking booth in the plan when applying for building review and must install the smart smoking booth before applying for use approval. Smoking booths may also be installed within the site outside the publicly accessible spaces if compliant with relevant laws and regulations.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “Through the installation of smart smoking booths within publicly accessible spaces of newly constructed private buildings, we expect to prevent damage caused by secondhand smoke to building users and pedestrians while also protecting the rights of smokers. We will continue to do our best to realize a smart inclusive city that embraces all residents.”

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