Choi Si-won, a member of the group Super Junior and an actor, personally stopped a foreign tourist who was about to smoke at Gyeongbokgung.
Recently, Choi Si-won posted a video on his YouTube channel touring Gyeongbokgung. The video shows him visiting various parts of the palace with volunteer docent Yang In-eok, a guardian of the palace, and listening to explanations.
During this process, a foreign tourist was spotted trying to smoke inside the palace. Seeing this, Choi immediately approached the tourist and said, "Excuse me, please," conveying that they should stop smoking.
Understanding Choi's request, the tourist lowered the cigarette, and Choi replied, "Thank you," before continuing the tour.
Smoking within cultural heritage zones can lead to fire and damage risks. In particular, for wooden cultural properties, even a small spark can develop into a major fire, and the need for management has been consistently raised.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, from 2021 to 2025, cigarette butts accounted for 49% of careless springtime fires that occurred in Seoul, the largest share.