Seongdong-gu Designates All Public Restrooms as 'No Smoking Areas'

Seoul City Designates 46 Public Restrooms as No-Smoking Zones for the First Time, Adds 2 No-Drinking Zones in Eorini Kkum Park... Starting January 2025, a 100,000 KRW Fine Will Be Imposed for Smoking and Drinking in These Areas to Raise Awareness Against Reckless Smoking and Drinking

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that it has designated all public restrooms as non-smoking areas for the first time in Seoul.

Public restrooms are not designated as non-smoking areas under the National Health Promotion Act, so there is insufficient institutional basis to enforce smoking bans. Additionally, due to the confined nature of public restrooms, people are more directly exposed to the harms of secondhand smoke.

Accordingly, on August 19, Seongdong-gu became the first district in Seoul to designate all 46 public restrooms it operates as non-smoking areas.

Furthermore, to foster a healthy drinking culture and protect infants and children from harmful environments, two Children's Dream Parks, which are frequently used by families, were additionally designated as alcohol-free parks.

Public Restroom

In May and August of last year, Haengdang Children's Dream Park (143-3 Haengdang-dong) and Majang Children's Dream Park (802-2 Majang-dong) were designated as alcohol-free zones. This year, Oksu Children's Dream Park (204-1 Oksu-dong) and Miso Children's Dream Park (1055 Hawangsimni-dong) were also designated as alcohol-free zones.

The district plans to implement a guidance period until December 31, and starting January 1 of next year, a fine of 100,000 KRW will be imposed for smoking or drinking violations within these areas.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Through the designation of non-smoking areas and the expansion of alcohol-free zones, we hope to raise awareness about reckless smoking and drinking, prevent secondhand smoke damage, and establish a healthy drinking culture. We will strive to create a healthy and pleasant urban environment so that residents can enjoy a healthy daily life.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.