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Citizens vote during the midterm elections 07 November, 2006, at a polling station located in an car dealership in Glendale, California, 10 miles (16.6 km) north of Los Angeles,California. Republican control of Congress is in the balance today as voters cast their ballots across the nation. Democrats mining public discontent over President George W. Bush's war in Iraq battled to break the Republican stranglehold in Congress Tuesday, as millions of Americans went to the polls. Democratic leaders predicted they would recapture the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994, but needed to pull off a less likely clean sweep of battleground seats to seize the Senate. AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK
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Promoting Non-Smoking Zone on Dong-baek Island
“No smoking along the promenade on Dong-baek Island.”
Busan is about to designate Dong-baek Island in Haeundae as an outdoor non-smoking zone starting from May next year. However, reactions of citizens cross each other and there are no legal regulations to enforce prohibition of smoking so there is some criticism about its effectiveness.
The Haeundae district office announced on November 8, “The office is planning to create a non-smoking area around the entire promenade of Dong-baek so visitors to the island can feel the fresh air and smell the clean sea.”
The district office will establish the entire section of walk around the island as the boundary for prohibiting smoking. They will build interest by holding a straw poll and a signature campaign. The office plans to proclaim the non-smoking area following the Smoke Free Day on May 31, 2007.
However, public opinion is divided over the policy of the Haeundae district office. On November 8 at 7 am, Kim Youn-ok (56, female) was at the island for exercises and said, “It feels bad to smell cigarettes from some walkers who blow clouds of smoke while I am running around. Even though it seems a little late, it is the right thing to designate the area as a smoke free zone.”
On the other hand, Lee Tae-suk (48) said, “Outdoor smoking does not interfere with others much, so I don’t understand why Dong-baek island should become a non-smoking area.”
In addition, there are no legal regulations to compel prohibition of smoking within the island. With the law currently in force, facilities used by the public have a responsibility to maintain the area as a smoke free zone and any violation of the rules deserves punishment. However, the current law only applies to indoor areas. Accordingly, the district office has some difficulty when officers put administrative force on smokers on the island, but they cannot give any punishment.
Referring to the circumstances, an officer at the district office said, “Through enough promotion and guidance, we will put our efforts to successfully create the designation of the non-smoking area on Dong-baek island.”
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 / 입력시간: 2006. 11.09. 09:39
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