Seoul cracks down on subway exit smokers
People caught smoking within 10 meters of a subway station exit can now be fined up to 100,000 won. / Yonhap
By Hong Dam-young
Smoking bans at Seoul subway station exits are now being enforced.
People who smoke within 10 meters of the exits can be fined up to 100,000 won ($90). The city government launched a crackdown on offenders Thursday, with 19 officers patrolling exits from now until Sept. 9, Yonhap news agency reported.
The central and local governments have been campaigning to warn off smokers in public areas after designating the subway exits non-smoking zones on May 1, with a four-month grace period.
A city survey showed that the average number of smokers at each Seoul subway exit in March was 39.9 an hour, but fell to 5.6 in May because of the ban. The number of smokers around exit 4 of Samseong Station fell from 221 an hour to four.
Some stations, including Seoul Station and Kwangwoon University Station, still had several smokers near the exits.
The government has called on workers in buildings around the city’s busiest subway stations ― such as Gwanghwamun and Seoul ― to abide by the ban.
Authorities also plan to move garbage cans from non-smoking areas to improve the environment.