South Korea’s Seoul Gangnam District Installs “Separated Smoking Booths” , Splitting Cigarettes and Vapes

Key points

• Seoul, South Korea’s Gangnam District installed “separated smoking booths” at two Teheran-ro locations to address street smoking and secondhand-smoke complaints

• The setup features a “double separation”: smokers vs. non-smokers (pedestrian flow) and cigarettes vs. e-cigarettes (usage zones)

• Cigarette booths are fully enclosed (smoke control, air purification, air curtains), while vape booths are semi-open (purification-centered)

• Each booth is roughly 10 meters long, with a 6:4 split between cigarette and vape sections; capacity 15–20; operating hours 6:00–23:00

• Gangnam plans to designate nearby stretches as smoke-free streets from Jan. 20, with police coordination for guidance and enforcement

• The district aims to expand the model with local companies through an ESG-style partnership

2Firsts, Jan. 23, 2026

According to Herald Economy, Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea has installed two “separated smoking booths” along Teheran-ro—near DB Financial Center (Teheran-ro 424) and Samwon Tower by the Kukkiwon intersection (Teheran-ro 124)—as part of an effort to ease long-running tensions over street smoking and secondhand-smoke exposure.

The district developed the initiative through a multi-stakeholder “living lab” involving residents, police, partner organizations and relevant departments. Based on assessments of user behavior and public concerns, the district adopted a “separated” approach: separating pedestrian flows for smokers and non-smokers to reduce involuntary exposure, while also separating cigarette and vape use areas to curb disputes driven by differences in odor and emissions.

In terms of design, the cigarette booth is enclosed, equipped with smoke-control and air-purification systems and features such as air curtains to limit smoke leakage, alongside enhanced ventilation. The vape booth is semi-open, built around capture-and-purification functions, reflecting the district’s decision to tailor the structure to different product characteristics. The booths also incorporate airflow intake and electrostatic filtration-style solutions to improve purification efficiency and reduce maintenance burdens.

Each booth measures about 10 meters in length, with the cigarette and vape zones split at roughly 6:4. The booths accommodate 15–20 people and operate daily from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Educational signage on smoking etiquette and cessation is placed inside, while boundary markings, audio prompts and a monitoring system are used outside to discourage smoking beyond the booths.

On enforcement, Gangnam plans to designate areas around the booths as smoke-free streets starting Jan. 20, followed by a three-month guidance period before full implementation. The district will also work with police to intensify on-site guidance and enforcement and said it intends to expand the separated-booth model in partnership with businesses along Teheran-ro under an ESG framework.

Image source: Herald Economy