New smoking ban . DECEMBER 08, 2012 04:10. . A new smoking ban has taken effect Saturday at some 80,000 public spaces such as restaurants, bars and cafes. A revised enforcement decree of the National Health Promotion Law prohibits smoking at restaurants and eateries larger than 150 square meters and designates all public facilities as smoke-free zones. A proprietor in central Seoul is putting a no-smoking sticker on the door of his restaurant Saturday.