By Nam Hyun-woo
As Korea pushes a stronger anti-smoking policy, the number of buildings designated as smoke-free zones is increasing. However, Internet cafe owners claim they will become the biggest victim of what they call unfair regulations.
Internet cafes, better known as PC bang (room) here, have been the center of the controversy regarding the smoke-free zones. As many PC room customers look for smoking seats, the new ban is expected to deal a severe blow to the PC room industry.
“I don’t get why Internet cafes are a non-smoking zone while billiard rooms or karaoke bar are still okay to smoke,” said a PC room owner at Imun-dong, Seoul. “If the prohibition is aimed at promoting public health, it should equally regulate smoking in such places as billiard rooms frequented by juveniles.”
The government banned smoking in PC bangs from June 8 but offered a six months grace period to protect young people, who constitute the main customers of PC rooms, from direct and passive smoking.
If a customer smokes outside of a designated smoking booth, the smoker will face a fine of up to 100,000 won while the owner has to pay maximum 5 million won.
However, the National Health Promotion Act, which legitimizes the prohibition, left some establishments such as billiard rooms, karaoke bars and video rooms free of the smoking ban.
According to the Ministry of Government Legislation, the Act regulates smoking in gaming facilities and sports complexes which can accommodate more than 1,000 people.
Billiard rooms, where many people puff away while playing, are classified as sports facilities, but excluded from the prohibition since they usually are not large enough to accommodate 1,000 people.
Similarly, karaoke bars escaped the ban. Karaoke booths are classified neither as gaming facilities nor as restaurants where the law also prohibits smoking.
Owners of businesses which will be affected by the ban say that only billiard rooms were excluded from the ban. Even bars and pubs, long-time haven for smokers, came under the influence of the Act.
“Of course the prohibition is unfair,” said a pub owner, surnamed Choi. “Even karaoke room owners are selling liquor which originally is unlawful. But they are preferentially treated thanks to their vague categorization.”
As many people, like Choi, file complaints to authorities that the designation is unfair, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will consider adding billiard rooms to the smoke-free zone list.
However, other business owners say that the ministry is too late and had already given them preferential treatment, while billiard room owners are arguing that designating billiard rooms as a smoke-free zone will definitely force them out of business.
The Act allows PC room owners to install a smoking booth with ventilation system, but the owners still worry that it will be ineffective.
“Considering that online games run continuously and are not easy to quit or pause, installing smoking booths don’t seem to be effective,” said the PC room owner.
PC bang owners argue that the Act will “kill the PC bang industry,” rather than promote public health.
“Regardless as to whether the designation is biased or not, smoking ban will wreak a havoc on both mom-and-pop PC room owners and billiard room owners,” said Cho, another PC room owner at Hwigyeong-dong, Seoul.
In his PC room, a number of customers were enjoying games while puffing away, using paper cups as ashtrays.
“I don’t have to pay fines since it is still in the grace period, but as of next year, when the period expires, I will have to ban smoking. Customers may not obey or opt not to visit PC rooms,” he said.
In 2008, the act forced PC room owners to reconstruct their cafes to separate smoking and non-smoking zones. With installing ventilation systems, it cost an average of 2.5 million won ($2,000) for each to be restructured. However, the June 4 enforcement requires them again to restructure PC room’s interior, causing additional costs.