| Philip Morris established a vaping room at Parc.1 in Seoul. Courtesy of Phillip Morris |
By Kim Hyun-bin
Philip Morris Korea announced that it has created an outdoor smoking area for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and cigarettes within the Parc.1 complex on Yeouido in Seoul, Monday.
The outdoor smoking area unveiled at Parc.1 is divided into a vaping section exclusively for HTPs and a smoking section for cigarettes. The number of adult HTP users in the Yeouido area, which has a high concentration of office workers, is on the rise, but the lack of dedicated areas for using HTPs has always been a big inconvenience to HTP users.
Additionally, nearby residents and office workers have been increasingly complaining about the problems of only having seven smoking areas in a region that sees more than 440,000 people in daily foot traffic. In response, Philip Morris Korea created separate spaces for adult HTP users and adult smokers to fulfill the needs of every type of adult smoker.
The newly created space, a result of Philip Morris Korea and Parc.1's close partnership, is also expected to enhance the surrounding environment of Parc.1. Cigarette smoke and cigarette butt litter have been an annoyance and a discomfort for neighbors and others in the area due to the lack of proper dedicated smoking areas.
Philip Morris Korea and Parc.1 have come together to solve this issue by creating an outdoor smoking area. Ashtrays have been placed at each vaping and smoking section to prevent smokers from littering the streets. The vaping and smoking rooms have been installed as outdoor booths to allow for better air circulation, with the “Living with COVID-19” scheme in mind. The booths have also been designed so that smokers and HTP users are not visible from the outside.
“By creating a vaping and smoking room in Parc.1, which is one of the largest office complexes and shopping centers in Yeouido, we are able to contribute to promoting public health and accommodate all adult smokers,” Philip Morris Korea Managing Director Young-jay Paik commented. “We will continue to pay close attention to projects that can help in creating a pleasant urban environment and realize our company's vision of a smoke-free future.”