Gwangju City Council Receives Ministerial Award for Smoking Prevention and Cessation Support Ordinance

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim Yong-jip) announced on the 28th that the "Gwangju Metropolitan City Ordinance on Creating an Environment for Preventing Smoking among Children and Adolescents and Supporting Smoking Cessation" was recognized for its contribution to creating a smoke-free environment on the 33rd World No Tobacco Day and received the Minister of Health and Welfare's institutional commendation, being the only city/provincial council nationwide to do so.

The World Health Organization (WHO) annually awards commendations to individuals and institutions that have contributed to smoking cessation on "World No Tobacco Day" to raise awareness of the severe harms of smoking and to promote effective smoking cessation policies worldwide.

The ordinance that received the institutional commendation, the "Gwangju Metropolitan City Ordinance on Creating an Environment for Preventing Smoking among Children and Adolescents and Supporting Smoking Cessation," was jointly proposed by council members Park Mi-jung, Lee Jeong-hwan, Jeong Soon-ae, Lee Kyung-ho, and Kim Hak-sil. It is evaluated as having established an institutional foundation that creates a smoking prevention environment to protect children and adolescents from harmful environments and supports them in quitting smoking, enabling them to lead healthier lives.

Kim Yong-jip, Chairman of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council, said, "Through providing smoking prevention education and smoking cessation support services for children and adolescents in our city, we contributed to creating a healthy smoke-free environment," and added, "We will continue to do our best in legislative activities to enhance the welfare and health of children and adolescents, who are the future of the region."