Incheon City Council Passes Standing Committee Bill Including 'Gonggae Gongji' in No-Smoking Zones

Assemblyman Lee Gang-gu, Leads the Proposal of 'Indirect Smoking Damage Prevention Ordinance'

Incheon City Council announced on the 4th that a bill including 'public open spaces' in no-smoking areas has passed the standing committee.

The Council's Culture and Welfare Committee held the 291st regular meeting on the 30th of last month and reviewed and approved the 'Partial Amendment to the Ordinance on Prevention of Secondhand Smoke Damage,' which was introduced by Representative Lee Gang-gu (People Power Party, Yeonsu 5).

The amendment mainly includes 'public open spaces' as part of no-smoking areas. Public open spaces refer to areas created by the owners of large buildings under the Building Act, such as landscaping facilities, that are accessible to all citizens.

The amendment aims to designate places where many citizens rest as no-smoking areas to enhance the effectiveness of no-smoking policies, thereby not only guaranteeing residents' health rights but also spreading a culture of non-smoking.

Representative Lee, who is active as an environmental volunteer in Songdo, said, "While picking up cigarette butts, I gave a lot of thought to expanding no-smoking areas," adding, "Although public open spaces are public places accessible to everyone, many are stained with cigarette smoke, which led me to introduce the ordinance to designate these as no-smoking areas."

The amendment is scheduled to be finally approved at the plenary session on the 14th.

Councilor Lee Gang-gu of Incheon City [Photo by Incheon City Council]