Smoking to be banned in billiard halls, indoor golf ranges

By Chung Hyun-chae

The government plans to ban smoking in billiard halls and indoor golf driving ranges next year as part of a public health promotion, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday.

The move follows a ban on smoking in restaurants and pubs announced the day before.

“We are considering designating small-sized recreational facilities as non-smoking areas next year, including billiard halls, golf driving ranges, gyms and swimming pools,” a ministry official told The Korea Times. “But details have not been decided on the timing yet.”

The National Health Promotion Law bans smoking in large-sized recreational facilities that seat more than 1,000 spectators, such as baseball parks and soccer fields.

The ministry has vowed to revise the law to include all types of recreational facilities as smoke-free areas, following criticism that visitors to billiard rooms or gyms, even teenagers, are exposed to smoking.

“By revising the regulations, we hope to prevent secondhand smoke,” the official said. “Also, it is now recognized that smoking in public areas should be limited as much as possible.”

On Thursday, the ministry said all restaurants and pubs would become non-smoking zones from 2015, regardless of their sizes.

The law took effect in July 2013, but restaurants, coffee houses and Internet cafes smaller than 100 square meters were exempted.

But from Jan. 1, the law will be applied to all restaurants and cafes, so the number of places subject to the law will increase from 80,000 to 600,000 throughout the country.

Establishments can build separate smoking rooms, which will have to be enclosed spaces with ventilation systems. But food and drink will not be permitted in the smoking rooms.

Electronic cigarettes will not be exempt because they are also categorized as “cigarettes” under the Tobacco Business Act.

Smokers breaking the ban will be fined 100,000 won, while business owners will have to pay 1.7 million won ($1,543) in fines for a first violation, 3.3 million won for the second and 5 million won for the third and any violations after that.

The ban is expected to draw complaints from restaurant owners and smokers.

Cigarette prices are also expected to increase by 2,000 won next year.

In line with the government’s tough stance on smoking, some smokers have tried to quit.

“I am determined to take this opportunity to quit,” said a college student surnamed Choi, 23.