SEOUL, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- South Korea's nine-member Constitutional Court has ruled the law that prohibits people from smoking inside public buildings is constitutional.
The Korea Times reported Saturday the court decided banning smoking inside schools, hospitals and other public buildings is constitutional and that freedom and rights of individuals can be limited for the public good.
Last July, a citizen who smokes filed a petition claiming the health law overruled the rights of smokers and that cigarettes can be a good stress-reliever, smoking is a matter of choice for individuals and that cigarettes contributes to the economy because 30 percent of the budgets of local authorities comes from cigarette taxes.
The Friday ruling said smoking in South Korea's public buildings violates the basic rights of non-smokers to protect their health and life.
