A smoking ban in public areas will be enforced from April following a three-month grace period. It comes amid lingering public debate over a need to improve public health against individuals’ right to smoke.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on March 31 that it would start penalizing those who smoke in public spaces such as restaurants, Internet cafes, coffee shops and other public areas. Violators will be fined up to 100,000 won ($90), while the owners of establishments who tolerate smoking will be fined up to 1.7 million won ($1,500). 

Under the new measures, smokers must smoke in a designated area and are not allowed to smoke when they are eating in restaurants, playing games in Internet cafes or chatting at coffee shops.

“We have advertised the policy to ban smoking in public spaces since late 2012. Before putting the policy into place this April, we have even given a grace period. Now it is time to enforce the policy,” said Ryu Si-ik, an official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The measure comes amid the government’s initiative to stop people smoking for the sake of public health. Last September, authorities increased the price of cigarettes by 2,000 won per pack and mandated tobacco companies put “cautionary pictures” on cigarette packs as a wake-up-call to smokers.

However, the measures are still being met with opposition from smokers and business owners, who cite the individual’s right to smoke.

Earlier this month, pro-smoking advocates protested at the Constitutional Court of Korea, calling the authority’s move to designate all restaurants “smoking-free zones” unconstitutional.

“I think smoking is entirely an individual’s business,” said 27-year-old Chung Se-yoon, a former Air Force officer.

“Business owners who cannot afford to build a smoking room, meanwhile, would go out of business,” said Chung. He cited a case in the Air Force that designated every base a smoke-free area in 2013, but stepped back from the restriction following opposition and operated designated smoking areas instead.

Advocates against smoking, however, say the ban is long overdue and the government should do what it takes to improve public health.

“Smokers cannot fathom how annoying and harmful it is sitting next to them,” said Chung Sang-ik, a 28-year-old public worker. “I used to go to Internet cafes a lot. Even though the cafe runs a designated room for smokers, they never bothered to go there and smoke. It was really annoying,” said Chung.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)