Seocho-gu, the Secret Behind Establishing a Smoke-Free City Without Cigarette Smoke?

[Seoul District News] Seocho-gu Recognized for Multifaceted Efforts Including QR Code One-Stop Education Application for Smoking Violators and Expansion of No-Smoking Zones on Main Roads and Private Property, Winning the 2022 Best Practice Award in Smoking Cessation Environment... Gwangjin-gu Expands Installation of 'Clean Keeper' CCTV for Illegal Dumping Enforcement & Adds 35 Fixed and 25 Mobile CCTV Units & Broadcasts Warnings via CCTV Speakers with Lighting at Night...

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu has been recognized for its efforts and achievements in creating a healthy city through the promotion of smoking cessation policies.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) received the Grand Prize in the "Smoking Cessation Environment Creation" category in the evaluation of the "2022 Best Practices for Making Seoul a Smoke-Free City."

"Making Seoul a Smoke-Free City" is a project by Seoul City that selects autonomous districts with outstanding achievements by evaluating efforts and creativity in areas such as creating smoke-free environments, smoking cessation support services, and youth smoking prevention.

Accordingly, Seocho-gu received high praise for promoting various "resident-experienced smoke-free city" projects that communicate with residents by creating a detailed smoke-free environment to prevent secondhand smoke damage.

First, since April, Seocho-gu has been the first in the nation to insert QR codes on smoking violation notices, resulting in a 3.8-fold increase in smoking cessation education applications within two months.

This allows violators to apply for smoking cessation education, attend online courses, and submit certificates of completion all in one stop via the QR code on the violation notice.

Along with this, Seocho-gu expanded designated smoke-free zones to main roads and private properties to resolve smoking complaints and create a pleasant smoke-free environment.

In November last year, Seocho-gu designated the area around Majesta City near the Supreme Court (Seocho-daero 38-gil 12) as a block-type smoke-free zone, and in October this year, based on field surveys and resident questionnaires, designated a section of Banpo-daero (Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital Intersection to Nue Bridge, both directions, 1.12 km) as a smoke-free street. Open-type smoking booths were installed here to allow coexistence of smokers and non-smokers.

Additionally, Seocho-gu overcame previous enforcement limitations by designating seven large building public spaces as smoke-free zones this year. The district also enacted an ordinance supporting the installation of smoking areas on private properties and cracked down on smoking areas in large private buildings with frequent complaints to resolve issues.

Starting next year, Seocho-gu plans to conduct a "social problem-solving design service" targeting side streets of Gangnam-daero with high smoking populations and cigarette butt littering.

This will comprehensively review measures to prevent and respond to secondhand smoke exposure for pedestrians, including surveys and analysis of smoking status, appropriate locations for smoking booths if needed, and design planning.

As of September this year, Seocho-gu recorded 9,205 smoking violation cases, the highest among Seoul’s autonomous districts, leading concentrated enforcement in smoke-free zones.

Mayor Jeon Seong-su of Seocho-gu said, "We will continue to promote various smoking cessation policies that contribute to residents’ health improvement, increase resident satisfaction, and strive to make Seocho a smoke-free city without cigarette smoke."

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) will install 60 additional CCTV units called "Clean Keeper" to prevent illegal dumping of garbage.

"Clean Keeper" automatically broadcasts warnings when garbage is illegally dumped, and at night, it turns on bright lights to prevent illegal dumping. The lights are powered by solar panels to reduce electricity consumption.

In mid-November, the district installed 35 fixed "Clean Keeper" units mainly in areas with habitual illegal dumping based on recent neighborhood surveys, attaching warning signs against illegal dumping in multiple languages including Korean, English, and Chinese to enhance prevention effects.

Additionally, 25 mobile "Clean Keeper" units, which are easy to move and highly active, will be installed by mid-December. Once habitual illegal dumping is resolved, mobile units will be relocated to new illegal dumping hotspots outside the monitored areas.

Upon completion of mobile CCTV installation in December, the district expects to improve neighbor conflicts, odors, and environmental pollution caused by illegal dumping and increase resident satisfaction through operation of a total of 207 Clean Keeper units.

Mayor Kim Kyung-ho of Gwangjin-gu said, "To provide a safe and pleasant urban environment, we are installing additional CCTV units for illegal dumping enforcement and will continue various efforts to solve garbage problems. We also ask residents for active participation in preventing and eradicating illegal dumping."

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it has promoted a crime prevention environment improvement project centered on the residential safety zone in Gusan-dong in collaboration with the Eunpyeong Police Station.

The project was carried out applying the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) techniques such as painting and safety facilities in the area of Seooreung-ro 17-21-gil, which has a high ratio of old houses and many dark alleys, and near Gusan Elementary School.

Earlier, the district office and police station selected project sites and reviewed necessary facilities through meetings starting in March. With consent from related departments and residents, the project was actively promoted from September.

The district painted aging walls and stairs and installed road markers in the Gusan-dong area, and installed LED murals near Gusan Elementary School. The Eunpyeong Police Station installed safety maps, safety mirrors, and emergency bells to secure nighttime visibility during high-risk late-night hours, enhancing crime prevention effects for women and children.

In a recent satisfaction survey of residents living in the Gusan-dong project area, 89% responded they were satisfied, showing high approval for the crime prevention project.

Chief Lee Im-geol of Eunpyeong Police Station said, "Not only solving crimes that have already occurred but also preventing crimes in advance should be the top priority in policing."

Mayor Kim Mi-kyung of Eunpyeong-gu said, "Through an organic cooperative system between the district office and police station, residents can walk safely in alleys. We will continue this collaboration to make Eunpyeong-gu a happy and safe place for residents."