No butts about it:smokers to be fined

Seoul city government will crack down on people who throw cigarette butts on the streets from tomorrow to Nov. 15, ahead of the scheduled G-20 Summit slated for November, the metropolitan government announced yesterday.

During the 75-day campaign, streets near subway stations, downtown areas and other crowded areas will be on a watch list.

Drivers and pedestrians who regularly throw cigarette butts on the roads and crosswalks will be the major target and can be fined between 30,000 ($25) and 50,000 won, according to Seoul city government law.

The number of people who were fined for littering with cigarette butts has been going down, according to Seoul Metropolitan Government statistics.

In the first half of last year, 117,788 people were cited, and Seoul city government managed to collect 5.66 billion won in fines. In the first half of this year, the number was down to 80,161 people, with 3.29 billion won in fines collected.

By Kim Mi-ju [mijukim@joongang.co.kr]