A new yet ambiguous type of business called a “smoking room” has emerged from Internet cafes due to strict regulations on non-smoking zones.

The smoking ban in Internet cafes, which kicked off June 8, has reportedly put many café owners in financial difficulties with a dramatic drop in visitors, not to mention a maximum fine of three million won if violated.

One Internet café in Bupyeong, Incheon put up a sign on July 11 saying, “1,000 won per hour in a smoking room with unlimited provision of Internet access,” in order to avoid fines with its undefined business identity and also to lure smokers craving for a place to puff.

Despite a warning by the Bupyeong-gu ward office to take down the sign, the transition from Internet cafes to smoking rooms is spreading among shop owners since “a smoking room falls into the category of free business type, which makes it legal to run the place,” according to one Internet café owner in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

While an official from The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that “it should be hard to permit smoking rooms as an official business sector,” there is currently no legal basis to penalize the businesses.

The antismoking policy, which was originally intended to protect non-smokers, has seemingly hit Internet café owners hard.

“The business outlook seems hopeless in the future. The number of Internet cafes dropped from 17,000 to 12,000 in a little more than a year and is expected to fall to 7,000 next year,” said Choi Seung-jae, the head of Cooperative of Internet Culture Contents Providers in Korea.

Jin Eun-soo, Intern reporter
(janna924@heraldcorp.com)