[Edaily Reporter Kim Ji-woo ] “When I’m walking down the street, I often end up breathing in unwanted cigarette smoke from all around me. I wish people would only smoke in designated areas.”

While the number of smoke-free zones has increased, reducing exposure to cigarette smoke indoors, it remains difficult to avoid secondhand smoke on the streets. This is because smokers tend to congregate at the boundaries of smoke-free zones, such as building entrances and alleyways. While some suggest increasing the number of designated smoking areas to contain cigarette smoke in one place, public opinion is divided regarding tobacco companies that have actually taken steps to install such facilities. This is because views are split between those who see it as a corporate social responsibility effort to protect nonsmokers and those who criticize it as creating an environment that makes smoking more convenient.

According to industry sources on the 15th, #KT&G Corporation installed and supported 842 smoking rooms nationwide from 2010 through last year. The total investment amounted to 9.87 billion won. The company plans to expand this to a total of 1,237 locations by 2030. In 2021, Philip Morris Korea established dedicated outdoor smoking areas for e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes within the Park One complex in Yeouido, Seoul.

Tobacco companies have no legal obligation to install smoking facilities. KT&G Corporation carries out this initiative by supporting the installation of smoking facilities in response to requests from local governments and public institutions. Given that the installation of public smoking facilities is not mandatory, tobacco companies are effectively shouldering part of the cost.

Conflicts also arise between smokers and nonsmokers at convenience stores, company building entrances, and on sidewalks. This is because current law does not prohibit all smoking on the streets, making it difficult to enforce smoking restrictions unless the area is a no-smoking zone specifically designated by a local government. Consequently, both smokers and nonsmokers are calling on tobacco manufacturers to provide separate smoking areas to reduce such conflicts.

However, the issue of accepting support from tobacco companies is not straightforward. Seoul, the most populous local government, has established 140 public smoking facilities on its own without support from tobacco companies. A Seoul City official stated, “In accordance with guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, we do not accept support from tobacco companies because cooperation with them could be seen as promoting a smoking culture.”

Experts also express concern that tobacco companies’ support for the installation of smoking facilities could undermine the intent of smoke-free policies. Lee Ki-heon, a professor of family medicine at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, pointed out, “Smoking facilities built by tobacco companies are not so much a measure against secondhand smoke as they are an investment in an environment where people can continue to smoke,” adding, “If tobacco companies become partners with local governments through donations or agreements, it could create a burden in advancing smoke-free policies.”

These concerns align with international tobacco control principles. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), national governments are required to protect tobacco control policies from the commercial interests of the tobacco industry. Accordingly, the FCTC recommends exercising caution regarding cooperation between governments and the tobacco industry, as well as tobacco companies’ corporate social responsibility activities.

However, it is difficult to ignore the fact that providing appropriate smoking facilities in areas where smokers already congregate could help reduce the spread of tobacco smoke into pedestrian walkways. Experts advise, however, that guidelines for installation locations, facility design, and management standards must be established simultaneously.

Professor Lee explained, “Smoking facilities should not be viewed as amenities but as facilities designed to manage secondhand smoke,” adding, “They should be installed only at the minimum number of locations where smokers actually congregate, but they must feature enclosed structures and smoke extraction and ventilation systems, and enforcement against smoking in surrounding areas must also be strengthened.”

There are also calls to strengthen public smoking cessation support policies alongside the expansion of smoking facilities. The budget for national smoking cessation support services has decreased by approximately 37 percent, from 146.8 billion won in 2017 to 92.8 billion won this year. Beyond the controversy surrounding the installation of smoking facilities, the challenge lies in how the government will secure the necessary funding and assume management responsibility for smoking cessation policies.

Professor Lee emphasized, “Rather than having tobacco companies install smoking facilities directly, the government should impose responsibility through statutory levies and ensure that facilities are established in accordance with public funding and standards.” He added, “Since smoke-free zones are currently fragmented into isolated spots, creating blind spots, the priority should be to expand them to cover entire streets and neighborhoods and to strengthen support for smoking cessation.”