The Debate Over 'Smoking Rights and Anti-Smoking Rights' Rekindles Online
A photo showing cigarette butts scattered on the street sparked fierce criticism, leading a smoker to point out the lack of infrastructure such as smoking areas and trash bins, sparking a heated debate among netizens.
“Numerous cigarette butts and packs discarded in no-smoking zones” criticized, met with rebuttal citing “lack of smoking areas and trash bin infrastructure”
Numerous cigarette butts are discarded in an area marked with a "No Smoking Zone" sign. [Image source=Capture from X (formerly Twitter)]
On the 1st, several online communities posted articles titled “A smoker’s tweet currently going viral” and similar. Included was a post from last month on X (formerly Twitter). A netizen shared a photo showing numerous cigarette butts scattered in an area marked with a “No Smoking Zone” sign. Cigarette packs were even discarded there. The poster criticized, “This is why I don’t trust smokers,” adding, “I have never seen a smoker stop someone from throwing away cigarette butts, nor have I seen smokers pick up butts around them.” They further stated, “Their best effort is just to clean up the butts they themselves discarded.”
In response, a person identifying as a smoker, Mr. A, wrote, “The biggest problem in this situation is that proper smoking areas and trash bins are not provided, and ‘No Smoking’ stickers are just slapped everywhere.” He argued, “This issue cannot be solved by blaming any group with certain preferences; it requires a systems approach. They might as well just stop selling cigarettes.” He continued, “Would a highly law-abiding citizen suddenly become someone who litters if they start smoking? Smoking is not such a profound behavior that changes human values. This is fundamentally a structural problem,” he emphasized.
“Expanding trash bins will solve it” vs. “Does lack of trash bins justify littering?” heated debate
A netizen who pointed out in Mr. A's post that "even though the trash can is emptied daily, there are many cigarette butts on the floor of the smoking area" shared a photo. [Image source=Capture from X (formerly Twitter)]
Mr. A’s post sparked a back-and-forth debate. Supporters of Mr. A’s view responded with comments such as, “This is a problem that can be solved simply by installing trash bins and basic facilities,” “It would be good to create proper smoking areas and trash bins,” and “Then I would only clean up my own cigarette butts; should I clean up everyone else’s illegal littering too?”
However, those opposing Mr. A’s stance argued, “Because it’s a no-smoking zone, they don’t install trash bins for cigarette butts,” “What if people say it’s okay to litter on the ground just because there are no trash bins? I take my trash home if I create any on the street. If you make trash, you should take responsibility; what’s with blaming the system?” “If there are no smoking areas or trash bins, then just don’t smoke. This logic is like saying you had to defecate on the roadside because there were no public restrooms,” “Even if smoking booths are made, people still smoke outside because they don’t want others’ cigarette smell and then litter butts,” and “Like picking up pet waste, people should carry cigarette butt bags and dispose of them individually.”
Some netizens pointed out, “You can buy a portable personal ashtray for 5,000 won. People just don’t carry it and blame the lack of trash bins,” and “Japanese smokers almost always carry portable ashtrays.” Another netizen shared a photo of a university smoking area floor, which is emptied daily but still densely littered with cigarette butts, commenting, “Korean smoking culture is so terrible that it’s embarrassing even to talk about smoking infrastructure.”
A photo shared by netizens who searched for related products, saying that carrying a 'personal ashtray' would suffice, in response to Mr. A's post. [Image source=Capture from X (formerly Twitter)]
The long-standing debate between ‘smoking rights’ and ‘non-smoking rights’... cigarette butt littering also criticized for threatening public safety during disasters like floods
This issue leads to a discussion about ‘smoking rights,’ which argue that adults’ choice to smoke should be respected, and ‘non-smoking rights,’ which hold that non-smokers should be able to avoid inhaling harmful cigarette smoke. The conflict between these rights has existed for a long time, but 20 years ago, the Constitutional Court ruled that both ‘smoking rights’ and ‘non-smoking rights’ are fundamental citizen rights, with non-smoking rights supporting constitutionally guaranteed ‘health rights’ and ‘right to life.’ This means ‘smoking rights’ must be recognized without infringing on ‘non-smoking rights.’
Additionally, Seoul is known to have about 550,000 storm drains, but there are ongoing concerns that trash is blocking drainage and preventing proper function. It is reported that 70% of the trash blocking drains consists of cigarette butts. The National Disaster Safety Research Institute states that if two-thirds of storm drains are blocked, flood levels can rise to twice the normal height. This directly threatens the safety of citizens, including those living in semi-basement homes.
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