Finding Smoking Areas in Korea

How to Find Legal Smoking Areas in Korea (Without Getting Fined)

Traveling to Korea as a smoker comes with a layer of anxiety that non-smokers never think about. Am I allowed to smoke here? Will I get fined? Korea's smoking regulations are strict, and for tourists, genuinely confusing. That frustration led me to build smokearea.kr.

Why a Website, Not an App

Would you download an unknown app for a three-day trip just to find a smoking spot? Neither would I. Friction kills adoption. A responsive web map accessible through any browser, powered by your phone's GPS, requires zero commitment. This is basic marketing: lower the barrier.

500 Verified Pins, Not 1,000 Questionable Ones

The initial data scrape from Korea's public portal returned over 1,000 locations. Most were duplicates, outdated addresses, or defunct spots. If a traveler walks ten minutes following a pin only to find a "No Smoking" sign, trust is broken permanently.

Aggressive filtering brought the count down to roughly 500 verified locations. Accuracy over volume, every time.

Community-Driven Updates

Korean public data doesn't update in real time. Smoking booths disappear for construction. New ones appear without announcement. The platform lets users report closures and suggest newly discovered spots. Travelers helping travelers.

What's Next

The service runs on minimal ads covering server costs. If the platform earns enough trust, the next step is launching portable ashtrays as merchandise for respectful travelers.

The motivation behind this project is simple: empathy. Understanding what it feels like to worry about accidentally breaking laws in a foreign country. I hope smokearea.kr makes your stay in Korea a little more comfortable.