Smokers comply with exit ban

The metropolitan government of Seoul, South Korea, is carrying out an intensive crackdown on tobacco smoking within 10 m of subway exits from today, according to a story in the Chosun Ilbo daily.

The city introduced the 10-m smoking ban in May but a four-month grace period was allowed.

Now, violators are subject to fines of up to 100,000 won (about US$90).

The ban is said to have reduced the number of people smoking near subway exits drastically.

Before the areas were designated as non-smoking zones, an average of 39.9 people smoked there per hour, but that figure fell 86.1 percent to 5.6 people per hour after the ban was imposed.

Around one of the exits from Samseong Station, the number of smokers dropped by 98 percent from 221 per hour to four per hour.

“The city government will work with district offices to carry out the crackdown in the first nine days of the month,” a city official said.