Seongbuk-gu holds a joint public-private no-smoking campaign along Hanaro Street for World No Tobacco Day, with anti-smoking instructors and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency officials taking part in outreach and cleanup activities
Seongbuk-gu marked the 39th World No Tobacco Day on May 31 by holding a joint public-private no-smoking campaign aimed at spreading a smoke-free culture throughout the community.
The Seongbuk-gu Public Health Center organized the outreach event on May 28 along Hanaro Street, the district's designated no-smoking street.
The campaign was designed to raise awareness of the health hazards of tobacco and the dangers of secondhand smoke, and to foster a cleaner, smoke-free street environment.
Seongbuk-gu anti-smoking instructors and enforcement officers joined officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for the event. Participants carried no-smoking placards along the street and collected cigarette butts and other litter to underscore the importance of quitting smoking.
Organizers placed particular emphasis on messaging tied to a recent amendment to the Tobacco Business Act, promoting the message that "e-cigarettes are tobacco too." They also publicized an expansion of designated no-smoking zones to cover alternative education institutions under a revised National Health Promotion Act, seeking to heighten public awareness of e-cigarette risks and reinforce efforts to prevent youth smoking.
Seongbuk-gu's anti-smoking enforcement team also joined the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's wide-area prevention patrol unit to crack down on smoking violations and illegal cigarette butt disposal in areas with frequent complaints, conducting on-site guidance alongside patrols and inspections.
"We hope this campaign again reminds residents of the need to quit smoking and the dangers of secondhand smoke," a Seongbuk-gu Public Health Center official said. "We will continue working to build a healthier smoke-free environment and spread a culture of non-smoking."
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