Smoked and disorderly in Seoul

In various parts of the world, smokers have been seen as smelly and not normal, whatever that might mean, and now a councilman in Seoul, South Korea, apparently feels that those who smoke on sidewalks are socially disorderly.

According to a story in The Korea Times, Seoul Metropolitan councilman, Nam Jae-kyung, of the ruling Saenuri Party, is pushing to ban smoking on city sidewalks and streets where school buses operate.

Nam has submitted a bill to the council’s Health and Welfare Committee calling for such areas to be added to the no-smoking zones outlined in the city’s Road Traffic Act.

“I am ultimately pushing for all streets to be designated as no smoking zones,” Nam said.

“Smoking in the streets is not only a matter of health rights, but of maintaining basic social order.”

The revision bill will be discussed by the council in March and, if passed, could go into effect in mid-April.