Busan Designates All Public Restrooms as No-Smoking Zones; Fines to Begin Next February

[Financial News] Busan City said it would designate all public restrooms within its jurisdiction as no-smoking zones starting on the 1st, to protect residents’ health from secondhand smoke and create a pleasant environment for using public restrooms.
The decision is based on Article 9, Paragraph 7 of the National Health Promotion Act and Article 4, Item 14 of the Busan City Ordinance on the Creation of a Smoke-Free Environment. The designation applies to all public restrooms within Busan under Article 2 of the Act on Public Restrooms, etc.
The city will run a guidance period for about three months, from the 1st through January 31 next year, to help residents understand the designation of no-smoking zones and ensure the system is firmly established. Starting February 1 next year, when the guidance period ends, a fine of 50,000 won will be imposed for smoking in no-smoking zones.
Any public restrooms newly established in the future will also be included in the no-smoking zones without a separate designation procedure. However, public restrooms that are closed will be excluded.
Jo Gyu-yul, the city’s head of the Citizen Health Bureau, said, “We will work to prevent harm to residents from secondhand smoke and create a pleasant environment for using public restrooms by designating them as no-smoking zones,” and urged, “I ask for your active cooperation in establishing a mature smoke-free culture.”



[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter