Seocho-gu Launches 'Seocho Smoking Cessation Coaching Team' to Prevent Secondhand Smoke Damage

Limitations of Smoking Ban Enforcement for 36 Residents Supplemented
Establishing a Smoke-Free Culture by the End of This Year

Seocho Smoking Cessation Coaching Team members are guiding smokers and providing information about the smoking cessation clinic around a children's park in Seocho 3-dong. (Provided by Seocho District Office)

Thirty-six residents of Seocho-gu, Seoul, will serve as ‘No-Smoking Zone Guardians’ to protect the health of local citizens. Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 1st that it will operate the ‘2024 Seocho No-Smoking Coaching Team’ starting this month to prevent secondhand smoke damage and establish a no-smoking culture.

They will be assigned in pairs of two per neighborhood and will go around the community to provide guidance to smokers on preventing secondhand smoke and help them commit to quitting smoking. Their main activities include ▲guidance in back alleys and private properties where enforcement is difficult ▲promotion of no-smoking zones around school routes such as schools, daycare centers, and kindergartens ▲providing information on smoking cessation clinics and participating in campaigns.

The team members are mainly women in their 30s to 50s with children or adolescents, who are well acquainted with local conditions, and will be active until the end of this year. This year, special focus will be placed on preventing secondhand smoke damage and protecting the health of children and adolescents, the future generation. In March, Seocho-gu became the first in the nation to designate public roads within 10 meters around children’s parks as no-smoking zones, and the team will conduct focused guidance in these areas.

The Seocho No-Smoking Coaching Team was established in 2019 to complement the limitations of no-smoking enforcement. Since then, it has played a significant role as the nation’s first ‘private no-smoking evangelists,’ reaching out to more than 99,000 smokers with smoking cessation activities.

Seocho-gu has provided capacity-building training to instill pride in the team members as no-smoking coaching experts. Training included ▲guidance on no-smoking zones and areas with frequent smoking complaints ▲work manuals covering behavioral guidelines ▲smoking prevention education, and in June, first aid training will also be conducted. Most members have completed coaching conversation training to guide smokers without causing resistance, and in August, they will receive environmental education to raise awareness of the social issues related to tobacco.

To foster a sense of belonging and pride, Seocho-gu provides the team with security guard-style hats and uniforms, membership cards, and a modest activity allowance. The team’s safety and health have also been prioritized through group accident insurance enrollment and provision of cold-weather gear.

An organic social network service (SNS) system has been established between the district and the Seocho No-Smoking Coaching Team. If a heated complaint arises during guidance, a nearby no-smoking enforcement officer will promptly respond to resolve the issue. The team will also act as mediators in resolving smoking-related complaints by conveying residents’ suggestions for fostering a no-smoking culture to the district office.

Meanwhile, the district is conducting strong enforcement alongside the prevention efforts by the Seocho No-Smoking Coaching Team. Fifteen no-smoking enforcement officers patrol various areas, and last year, Seocho-gu recorded the highest number of enforcement cases among Seoul’s autonomous districts (14,779 cases, averaging 40 cases per day).

Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “We expect the Seocho No-Smoking Coaching Team to contribute not only to preventing secondhand smoke exposure among future generations of children but also to creating a no-smoking city in Seocho. We will actively promote various resident-centered no-smoking policies to protect the health of our citizens.”

At the '2024 Seocho Smoking Cessation Coaching Team Appointment Ceremony' held on the 29th of last month, Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu (third from the left), is taking a commemorative photo with the team members. (Provided by Seocho-gu Office)