"Smoking Areas Also Provided"... Seocho-gu Installs 'QR Information Boards' at 300 Locations to Prevent Secondhand Smoke

Check No-Smoking and Smoking Area Information Within 200m by Scanning QR Code
Pilot Operation Results Show Smoking Reduction Effect...Nation's First Case

Bus stop attachment view. Provided by Seocho-gu.

# Park Chansu (alias), who was looking for a place to smoke, was able to easily find nearby smoking facilities by scanning the ‘No Smoking (Smoking) Area QR Guide’ posted on the wall. Although there are many no-smoking area signs, finding a place to actually smoke is not easy these days.

Seocho-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jeon Seongsu) announced that it will officially operate the ‘Seocho No Smoking (Smoking) Area QR Guide (Seocho No Smoking QR Guide)’ project starting from the 9th.

The ‘Seocho No Smoking QR Guide’ is a service that provides information on outdoor no-smoking and smoking areas within a 200m radius of the current location when the QR code is scanned. This guide was introduced by Seocho-gu as the first case among local governments nationwide with the aim of protecting residents' health from indiscriminate smoking.

Last June, the district piloted the service in 98 high-smoking areas, and based on the results of one year of operation, it improved the functions and diversified the locations this year by adding 202 more sites, operating a total of 300 locations.

The ‘Seocho No Smoking QR Guide’ measures 20cm in width and 30cm in height, with a large QR code inserted in the center for visibility. A no-smoking symbol is placed at the top to raise awareness among smokers. Notably, each of the 300 QR codes on the guideboards generates location information, allowing users to check without going through a separate location information consent process.

The installation locations are within a 200m radius of 53 smoking facilities managed by the district, including subway entrances, village bus stops, areas with frequent enforcement, regions with many smoking complaints, and crowded gathering places.

The web map allows users to search for outdoor no-smoking and smoking areas, with smoking zones marked by red icons and no-smoking zones indicated by blue lines for easy identification. Additionally, to encourage smokers to quit, a ‘Smoking Cessation Support Service Guide’ popup appears upon access, and a smoking cessation clinic guide function has been added.

An internal management system for systematic operation has also been established. Various statistical data, including the locations of guideboard installations and access counts by place and time, will be used as basic data to enhance the effectiveness of future smoking cessation policies.

As a result of the one-year pilot operation of the Seocho No Smoking QR Guide, smoking within no-smoking areas has decreased. Comparing enforcement cases before and after installing 12 QR guides around the high-smoking area of Gangnam Express Bus Terminal, cases dropped by about 25% from 5,653 (June 2022?May 2023) before installation to 4,239 (June 2023?May 2024) after installation. During that time, there were about 5,100 QR code accesses.

In the future, the district plans to diversify this project. It will produce smoking prohibition (restraint) warning signs containing QR codes and attach them to areas with many smoking complaints, and will also install guideboards for building owners who request them after on-site verification. The guide web map will also be enhanced.

The district expects the ‘Seocho No Smoking QR Guide’ to help not only prevent secondhand smoke damage but also reduce illegal cigarette butt littering, contributing to a pleasant environment.

This project is part of the ‘Seocho QR No Smoking Project’ series. Previously, the district introduced the ‘No Smoking Education Guide QR Code’ project, the first nationwide to insert a ‘No Smoking Education QR Code’ into the smoking violation confirmation paper, allowing smokers caught on-site to immediately apply for smoking cessation education and support services. In fact, after introducing the no-smoking education QR code, the application rate for smoking cessation education increased fourfold.

District Mayor Jeon Seongsu said, “We hope that the Seocho No Smoking (Smoking) Area QR Guide will help prevent secondhand smoke,” and added, “We will promote smoking cessation policies that residents can feel and create a healthy city Seocho.”