Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Zackback]

Many years back a Korean female friend of mine told me this was a no-no to do in public (she was from Jeju). She smoked but did so in "proper" places - bars, etc. Where I live now in Korea I never see women smoking in plain view of others but on my way through Incheon I saw a young woman (university age) just walking on the sidewalk in the middle of the day and she lit up.
Is it acceptable for women to smoke in public in bigger cities now?

And a question for the western ladies here....do you refrain from doing so in public in Korea?

Thanks

[danwom]

Women are not supposed to smoke in general. Smoking is a way for a girl to quietly rebel against society. If she smokes while walking down the street, that just means she is more of a rebel.

Yay for this male dominated society right? *sarcasm*

[CarolinaTHeels]

you know they saying.....

if she smokes she pokes!

[420trader]

Back a few years ago (even up until 10-15 years ago), females smoking in public was really, really looked down upon. I know a lot of older Korean hyungs that used to smack random females just becaused they smoked in the open. I asked them why they did it and they replied "because it's disrespectful" (I have no idea how their reasoning went). It might be lost in translation but they said: "제수 없어서, 싸가지 없어서." I know older males (40's-70's) that did the same thing.

It's not like that anymore. There are still people that think it's really horrible for a woman to smoke in public but they are not the majority anymore.

[marsavalanche]

Wait it's considered rude for women to smoke in public?

Which Korea do I live in?

[myenglishisno]

[Steelrails]

Walk into any of the ubiquitous coffee shops in Seoul and look at the smoking room.

These days I see more girls than guys in there. No one cares. If anything it seems the guys are trying to smoke less because the girls see it as a turnoff and a sign of the "old mentality", not to mention they themselves probably have horrid memories of all the smoke and don't like it either, meanwhile the girls are passively-aggressively rebelling.

[marsavalanche]

I know a Korean girl that smokes when walking down the street. She wears a leather jacket and speaks Russian.

Everything makes sense now.

[Moondoggy]

[Skippy]

[northway]

[RangerMcGreggor]

I remember a few years ago it was considered a good dating tip that if a girl smoked she was probably "western" but it's slightly changing

[Weigookin74]

My current understanding is that women in Seoul can smoke in public or at a public place and it really doesn't mean anything. In regional cities, provinces, guns, etc, it means they're a *beep*. Or at least that's the attitudes. I saw one girl in my town smoking walking on the street. She was wearing a short skirt then walked into the Noraebang.

[Kaypea]

Where I live, I see more younger girls (high school age, early 20's) smoking in public, outdoors, but in sort of discreet places (shadowy areas under the overpass, etc). I live in Gyeonggi-do. At my school, several older man teachers smoke sort of openly, in the photocopy room or behind the school, but I've never, ever seen signs of a woman teacher smoking. I've become a secret smoker again. I'd better stop, because I'm dreading the day my addiction drives me to sneaking furtive puffs in the yard.

[Captain Corea]

In Gangnam I see girls smoking outside on a daily basis.