Another Disorderly Act Following Last Year's "Street Defecation" Incident
Controversy has arisen after a woman, presumed to be Chinese, was caught opening a window and smoking a cigarette inside a Jeju city bus.
A foreign woman smoking a cigarette by opening the window inside a Jeju city bus. Instagram (hyunsi2000) capture
Recently, a video filmed inside a Jeju city bus was shared on social networking services (SNS). In the video, a woman sitting in the seat in front of the uploader, identified as A, is seen holding a cigarette out the window and exhaling smoke. After smelling the cigarette smoke, one passenger demanded that the woman be made to get off the bus. Other passengers also expressed their discomfort. The video also captured the woman speaking in Chinese.
A foreign woman smoking a cigarette by opening the window inside a Jeju city bus. Captured from Instagram (hyunsi2000)
The bus driver stopped the vehicle and approached the woman, telling her, "You can't do this here." The woman, who had been flicking ash out the window, eventually threw the cigarette butt onto the street and closed the window. The video was subsequently shared across various online communities.
Smoking inside city buses in South Korea is prohibited under the National Health Promotion Act. Any means of transportation with 16 or more seats is designated as a non-smoking area, and violators can be fined up to 100,000 won. In China, smoking is also banned in indoor public places and at bus stops in Beijing, with violators facing fines of up to 200 yuan (about 40,000 won). If caught more than three times, the offender's personal information is made public. In Shanghai, since March this year, fines are imposed for smoking on buses or at bus stops.
However, one online user, who stated that they currently live in China, pointed out, "If there is an inconvenience, it's that there are still many places in China where you can smoke anywhere. While large cities like Beijing and Shanghai have increased the number of non-smoking areas, in smaller cities, people still smoke both indoors and outdoors, regardless of whether there are children or adults present."
Other online users also expressed anger, leaving comments such as, "How can someone smoke in a public place?", "It's not just the smoking, but also the fact that she littered the cigarette butt. The police should have been called," "When in Korea, follow Korean law," "At a concert, a Chinese couple was also smoking. Why do they behave like this in someone else's country?", and "It's not enough that they defecate on the street, now they're even smoking on the bus."
Meanwhile, last year, a photo of a child, presumed to be Chinese, defecating on a major road in Jeju was shared online, sparking controversy. Since last month, Jeju Provincial Police Agency has designated a special security period through June and is operating a mobile patrol unit of about 90 officers as a dedicated response team for crimes involving foreigners.
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