Seocho District Wins Presidential Award for Smoking Facility Integrating Technology and Design

Korea Public Design Awards
Recognized as a Model for Creating a Coexistence-Oriented Urban Environment

Seocho District in Seoul (Mayor Seongsoo Jeon) received the Presidential Award, the grand prize, at the '2025 Korea Public Design Awards' ceremony. The district stated that, following its first Presidential Award in 2020 for the 'Untact Screening Clinic,' this second top honor further establishes Seocho as one of the leading local governments in public design among basic local governments nationwide.

At the '2025 Korea Public Design Awards' ceremony, Seongsoo Jeon, Mayor of Seocho District, is delivering his acceptance speech for the Presidential Award. Provided by Seocho District.

The project for which Seocho District received the Presidential Award is titled 'Creating a New Smoking Culture through Technology and Design.' It is recognized as an innovative design solution that addresses the social challenges of easing conflicts between smokers and non-smokers and resolving the issue of street smoking in urban areas.

The district's flagship initiative, the 'Open-Type Smoke Ventilation Smoking Facility (Seocho Air Smoking Booth),' was evaluated as a coexistence-oriented space that integrates technology and design to minimize the external spread of cigarette smoke and odor. Installed mainly in high-density smoking areas such as the backstreets of Gangnam-daero, it has contributed to improving the street environment and alleviating inconvenience for residents.

This facility uses air curtains to block the external diffusion of smoke and is equipped with four patented smoke purification devices utilizing a vortex method to emit purified air. In addition, a large-capacity ashtray with an automatic extinguishing function has been installed to enhance safety and convenience.

Mayor Seongsoo Jeon of Seocho District stated, "This award is the result of Seocho District's efforts to improve the urban landscape and solve social issues through public design," adding, "We will continue to enhance the quality of life for our residents and create an urban environment where everyone can coexist through leading design administration in Korea."

The awards ceremony was held on the 24th at Co-Society Seoul Forest. The award is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation. This year, under the theme 'Coexistence: Public Design for Tomorrow,' a total of 15 winning projects were selected.

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