According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, since 2015, South Korea has completely banned indoor smoking in all restaurants regardless of area under the National Health Promotion Act, and violators face fines of 100,000 won for smokers and up to 1.7 million won for business owners. Japan implemented a revised Health Promotion Act following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which generally banned indoor smoking at restaurants and bars employing staff, but for those with capital of 50 million yen or less , small establishments of 100㎡ or less are exempt. Because of this, many local izakayas and small bars still allow smoking, and it's not uncommon to see customers smoking right next to your dining area. Japan's smoking culture is characterized by leniency indoors and stricter on the streets, but it's rare to see people smoking while walking in the heart of big cities. By law, starting with Beijing in 2014, China has banned indoor smoking in public places and restaurants, but due to the large gap between law and reality, enforcement in small and regional cities is lax, and indoor smoking is often tolerated in many cases. In major cities like Shanghai and Beijing, Recently, restrictions have been moved toward strengthening restrictions even in outdoor smoking areas, but there is an assessment that there is still a long way to go before nationwide actual enforcement is achieved. Foreign travelers visiting Korea are surprised that there is no smell of smoking in restaurants , whereas Koreans who have been to Japan and China often complain about indoor smoking culture!!!!!!!
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